Hope
by DaylightDies
Summary: In a world where the sacrifice of three heroes keeps the darkness at bay, Sora tries to live his life as normal as he can, but fate itself may have different plans. After years of peace, the heartless are attacking worlds again. Living as a normal student, Sora must not only learn about the darkness that threatens his world but must also deal with the changes of life.
1. Chapter 1: Hope

**A/N: Hey everyone! **

**This is a story idea I've been thinking about for a while. **

**I'm excited to finally be putting it onto paper. **

**Just a few notes:**

**I've played FF8 recently so many of the characters will appear.**

**It has been a while since I've written so I appreciate reviews telling me what I need to work on or suggestions**

**And finally, I don't own KH or any of the Square Soft/Square Enix Characters or worlds**

**Prologue**

* * *

This was it. The last hope of all the worlds hinged on the three keyblade warriors who were left fighting.

The horde of darkness continued to grow no matter how many they destroyed. It seemed hopeless.

Ventus wiped his brow and quickly glanced to his two friends. They were the only ones left.

As skilled as they were, he knew they were fighting a losing battle.

Yet, giving up was not an option. Not for them.

His thoughts flashed to the many memories they shared. He remembered Terra and Aqua training while he watched, waiting for the day he would finally be allowed to train as well.

Another memory. The time he had secretly followed Terra and Aqua on a mission and was almost killed. Yet his friends protected him.

Back then he had always felt so helpless. He was a burden. Now it was different. Now he was standing beside them as equals. A team. Humanities last hope.

The plain they were fighting on was flat as the eye could see. They had been fighting for what seemed like ages, though it seemed to be only midday.

The battle continued to rage. It was strange how things seemed to slow in the heat of battle. Everything felt so clear, so precise.

He was forced out of his musings by a new wave of heartless reaching him.

He parried a claw that was aimed at his back with his keyblade. Pivoting on his left foot, he covered his right with an aero spell and delivered a kick to his attacker. He saw the shadow disintegrate but didn't have time to celebrate as he was immediately confronted by a duo of soldier heartless.

Completing his spin and using his momentum, Ventus hurled his keyblade at the approaching foes. It cut through them like paper. Their hearts being released from their bodies, drifting away towards Kingdom Hearts.

He saw movement in his peripheral vision and a large group of enemies were obliterated. Even in battle, he admired the grace with which Aqua fought. Terra, on the other hand, was like a force of nature. Using sheer power he barreled through the enemies. Their fighting styles complimented each other well.

Ventus was different. He lacked the grace of Aqua and the strength of Terra, but he was a quick thinker and could adapt well. Being able to think on his feet and to respond to almost any situation had saved him many times before.

A lot of good that was doing him now, though. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't think of a answer to what they faced. There were too many enemies. He didn't want to let his friends down. He needed to be stronger. He poured everything he had into fighting.

He parried a blow and responded with a slash that was faster than he had ever recalled moving before. He wouldn't let his two friends down. He wouldn't be a burden.

Ventus heard Aqua cry out a warning. Turning, he couldn't get his keyblade up in time and took a blow to his shoulder.

The force knocked the keyblade from his grip and sent a shock through his whole body. His keyblade hit the ground and vanished in a flash of light. He needed to summon it back, but he couldn't concentrate through the haze of pain.

A defender heartless had its shield pointing at him. A red glow started surrounding the shield, and Ventus knew it would fire a beam. He also knew that without his keyblade he had no way to protect himself. He tried to gather his thoughts to summon back his keyblade. Too late.

The beam shot from the shield coming directly for Ventus.

However, before it made contact something flew by Ventus and struck the beam. The resulting explosion threw Ventus to the ground.

Disoriented, he laid there trying to regain his senses. He felt countless bruises and cuts but he would live.

Slowly getting to his feet, Ventus tried to make sense of what had happened. He heard a grunt of pain. Terra.

He saw him, without his keyblade, being struck by a soldier heartless. The claw had ripped through his side leaving a bloody wound.

It all clicked. Terra had thrown his keyblade in order to protect Ventus. In doing so, he left himself exposed to the heartless surrounding him.

Once again, he was rescued by his friends. Ventus let out a scream and felt rage unlike he had ever experienced before. He was supposed to protect them this time.

He summoned his keyblade pouring in all his desire to save his friends. He was amazed when a second keyblade appeared with the first. He had never summoned two before. _Oathkeeper. _That was its name. He wasn't sure how he knew this.

He thought back to the promise they had made to always protect each other. The Oathkeeper keyblade was that desire made manifest.

With his mind focused now, he quickly cast Curaga and tried to steady himself and rushed back into the fight.

Aqua had already reached Terra's side and was working on healing him so Ventus focused on protecting them.

He dodged and slashed taking out heartless with every move. He was a whirlwind. A claw made it past his defenses and sliced a line across his arm. Another grazed his cheek.

He was fighting as hard as he could, but he was just about at his limit. He knew he wouldn't be able to last much longer.

He knew what he had to do. Expending all his energy, Ventus pushed out with both keyblades channeling his remaining strength into a spell.

An explosion erupted around him and thousands of thin blades of air formed, swirling and gaining speed.

The enemies in a mile radius were destroyed as the wind sliced them to pieces.

Panting, Ventus dropped to one knee.

He had bought them a few moments, but it wouldn't be long until they were surrounded again.

He looked towards his two friends. Aqua was helping Terra to his feet. He was injured but he had survived. She had closed the wound with a healing spell.

Ventus then knew what had to be done.

Master Eraqus had given them a spell to use if all else failed. He warned that it was only to be used as a last resort.

He made eye contact with Aqua and then Terra. Their eyes saying all the things that they didn't have time to say. All the feelings that they wanted to express.

Nodding in agreement, they lifted their keyblades towards the sky. Golden light gathered at the end of each keyblade. The light grew until it was blinding. The heartless shied away from the light as if it physically hurt them

The three warriors yelled "Light" in unison and the beams flew from the ends of their keyblades and collided in the sky. When the flash dissipated the only remainder of the three heroes were their keyblades, abandoned by the wielders to give the only thing they could give.

Hope.


	2. Chapter 2: Normalcy

**A/N: Here's chapter two.  
**

**I've updated the prologue to fix the flow. Hopefully it is easier to read  
**

**Here is the next chapter. Let me know what you think!**

* * *

"And it was through the sacrifice of the keyblade warriors Terra, Aqua, and Ventus that the Locks of Light were formed around the worlds. These locks are what keep the darkness at bay. Any questions?" asked Ms. Quistis.

"Everyone knows the story, Ms. Q. We've heard it since we were little." replied a voice in the back.

Though he personally wouldn't have called out the teacher like that, Sora couldn't help but to agree.

He understood that it was important, but they heard this every year. School was already boring enough without the constant repetition.

Ms. Quistis, referred to as Ms. Q by the students, was one of the younger teachers. She was only in her mid twenties. She had long blonde hair and wore glasses with circular rims. More than a few of the male students had developed a crush on her.

Fortunately, she was also one of the more lenient teachers. She ignored the comment an dismissed the class.

Sora spared a glance to the source of the complaint and laughed to himself. Leave it to Riku to not hold back what he really thought.

It always seemed strange to other people that Sora and Riku got along so well considering their personalities were quite different.

Riku was intense, to say the least. Sora, on the other hand was very laid back.

They had known each other since they were young and had been good friends ever since.

Sora smiled as the first time they met flashed through his mind.

**Flashback **

_Sora was playing with his building blocks at the park while his mom sat on a bench watching him. Suddenly, a shadow loomed over him. Sora looked up to see a young boy with silver hair and green eyes staring down at him_

_"What is that supposed to be?" the young boy asked while pointing at Sora's building block creation._

_"It's a keyblade" Sora responded excitedly. "It's used to defeat the heartless. Watch" he said as he swung it towards the new kid._

_The other kid just stared at Sora, not looking impressed. Finally, he broke the silence by saying, "I bet I can make a better keyblade than you."_

_Sora noticed that that the other kid was smiling while he said it. "You're on!" Sora replied._

_The other boy held out his hand and said, "I'm Riku, by the way."_

**End Flashback**

"Hello, earth to Sora". Sora looked up quickly, letting the memories fade. He always had a bad habit of daydreaming.

"Sora, you lazy bum! Class is over. Didn't you hear the bell ring? Hurry up or we're going to be late."

He didn't have to look up to see who it was. There was only one person who would affectionately refer to him as "lazy bum".

"Give me a break, Kairi" he replied. "It's only the first day back to school. I'm still in summer mode."

Kairi rolled her eyes at him. "Whatever, c'mon we need to go".

Kairi was Sora's other best friend.

She was slightly shorter than him with auburn hair that came to slightly below her chin. She had startling blue eyes and was always fashionably dressed.

She was definitely one of the most popular girls in the school.

Sora had known Kairi even longer than he had known Riku. In fact, their parents used to always tease them about sharing a crib when they were younger. Sora couldn't remember a time when Kairi wasn't in his life. Most of his weekends growing up consisted of hanging out with Kairi, Riku, or both.

He was lucky that he shared his first class with both of them.

He reluctantly got to his feet, stretching as he stood. He used to be the same height as Kairi, but he hit a growth spurt over the summer. And now he was slightly taller than her. A fact that he would bring up as often as he could.

"She's right, y'know", came Riki's voice from over his shoulder. "You really are pretty lazy Sora".

Sora groaned. It was too early for them to team up on him.

"Alright, you guys win. Let's go" Sora said as he walked out of the classroom.

Traverse Town Academy had a fairly large student population. So it was no surprise when they stepped into a crowded hallway.

The trio made their way to their lockers which, conveniently, were located fairly close to one another.  
Sora opened his bag and pulled out his schedule. He scanned it until he found what he was looking for.

"Great, I've got Mr. Zidane for Math next", Sora complained. This wasn't going to be a fun class.

Mr. Zidane wasn't a bad teacher, Sora just found math to be incredibly boring. Plus add on the fact that Mr. Zidane's had a monotone voice that could put anyone to sleep... Yeah, it was going to be a long class.

"Cheer up, Sora", Kairi said. "I have that class next as well."

Sora let out a relieved sigh. "Great, at least I don't have to suffer alone."

"Quit being dramatic Sora, it won't be that bad" she replied.

She then turned to Riku. "What about you Riku? What class do you have next?"

Riku glanced at his schedule, and then put an arm around both Kairi and Sora.

"Well," he said, "it looks like you two aren't gonna be graced with my presence. Unfortunately for you guys, I have Literature next."

Sora was just about to respond with a sarcastic remark when a voice on the intercom interrupted their conversation.

The voice directed all students to come to the gym for an announcement.

That's strange Sora thought. They usually didn't have an assembly on the first day.

Sora looked to his two friends to see if they had any clue what was going on, but they looked just as lost as he was.

Riku just shrugged and said "Well, let's go see what this is all about." as he headed down the hallway

Sora wondered if anything fazed him.

He shared another look with Kairi before they started after him.

This was Kairi and Sora's second year at TTA and Riku's third, so they knew where to go by now.

The made their way through the crowd headed towards the gym.

The first day of school and they were already having an assembly. It seemed like it was going to be an interesting year.

Yet, Sora just couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible had happened.

* * *

**Finally into the main story. **

**I will probably start referring to Traverse Town Academy as TTA. **


	3. Chapter 3: Conflict

**A/N Sorry for the delay! I've finally got back into the story. Let me know what you think**

* * *

The trio made their way through the crowd to find seats in the gym.

Sora spotted his friend Tidus and motioned for Riku and Kairi to follow him as he took a seat beside him.

"Yo Tidus, any clue what's going on?" Sora asked.

"I'm not sure." Tidus said.

"Even Selphie doesn't seem to know, and if Selphie doesn't know then I guarantee no one else does as well." he laughed.

Unfortunately for Tidus, Selphie chose that exact moment to walk up. Tidus, who was still talking, failed to notice.

Sora and Riku tried to motion to Tidus that Selphie was behind him but he just kept on talking. Kairi just smirked as she realized what was about to happen. Everyone knew Selphie had a very volatile temper.

"It's funny, I think it annoys her to not know what is going on for once" Tidus said while laughing.

Sora and Riku groaned as they heard this.

"Oh really" Selphie said startling Tidus.

"Oh hey Selph, I didn't see you there" Tidus said sheepishly.

She placed her hands on her hips, and glared at him. For a small girl, she could be pretty scary.

Sora chuckled as he listened to Selphie yelling at Tidus. Selphie prided herself as being known as the school gossip and had an uncanny ability of always knowing what was going on before anyone else.

In fact, Sora had to admit that he was surprised she didn't know what the announcement was about. This must mean something big was happening.

Selphie's rant was cut short as the headmaster stepped up to the the microphone. Cid was middle-aged and had been the headmaster at TTA for the last five years. He was generally liked by both the students and the administrators. He cleared his throat then quickly called for everyone to be seated.

"Welcome to a new year here at Traverse Town Academy. Usually, it is uncommon for us to hold a general assembly on the first day; however, we felt it was our duty to inform you of certain events that are unfolding around us."

He paused, taking a breath before he continued.

"As of last night, the town of Radiant Gardens has been attacked by the heartless".

A stunned silence filled the room. Sora wasn't sure he had heard Cid correctly. He looked to Riku and Kairi but they looked surprised as well.

He almost expected Cid to say April fools or to suddenly start laughing; however, the expression on his face proved that it was anything but a joke.

Sora's mind was racing. What did he know about Radiant Gardens? It was one of the closer worlds to them and he knew his dad had friends that lived there.

But a heartless attack? How is that possible? he thought.

The Locks were supposed to keep the heartless out and there had never been a breach. If they were able to attack Radiant Gardens would they eventually attack Traverse Town?

Sora was interrupted from his thoughts by someone shouting a question, and that was all it took for chaos to break out. Everyone started talking at once and shouting questions to Cid.

He tried to regain control of the auditorium but it was clear everyone was too worked up to listen to him.

"QUIET!" a voice boomed, silencing everyone immediately. Even Cid looked shocked at the outburst.

A man stepped up beside Cid. He was tall, muscular and his brown eyes looked like they never missed any details. He had a scar that ran from his right cheek to his let eye. It made him look intimidating. Well, it had that affect on everyone but Sora.

Sora wasn't surprised at all by the outburst. In fact, he had expected it. The man quickly whispered something to Cid, and Cid seemed to regain his composure.

"Yes, this is a tragedy." Cid continued, "but we must remain calm. The Locks around Traverse Town still hold. We have nothing to fear. We have protocols in place and are prepared for any situation."

Cid motioned to the man beside him and continued speaking "Captain Leonhart has informed me that SeeD is ready for whatever may come."

Sora wondered if it sounded to anyone else like Cid was trying reassure himself as well.

"Already the refugees from Radiant Gardens have been arriving. We must make it our duty to welcome them in their time of need. As of now, our classes will continue like normal. As soon as we receive more information you will be informed. You are dismissed." Cid hurriedly finished and walked from the stage.

Kairi looked at Sora and he could tell she was worried. He gave her his trademark smile and put an arm around her.

"Don't worry, Kai. We'll be safe here. We have the SeeD organization. They would never let the heartless break through." Sora told her.

"He's right Kairi. We have nothing to worry about" Riku said. Though Sora could tell his voice lacked the conviction that it usually had.

"No use worrying about it. Let's get out of here". he said.

Riku and Kairi stood up and started heading to the door when Sora called out to them.

"Hey, you guys go on to class. I'll catch up." Sora said as he ran towards the stage.

"Da- I mean, Captain Leonhart, wait". Sora yelled.

"Sora, this really isn't a good time." his father said.

Sora could tell that he was shaken. He, like everyone else, thought the Locks were impenetrable.

Sora's father, Squall Leonhart wasn't one to be frightened easily. In fact, since he was the leader of Traverse Town's elite fighting squad SeeD, he was known to be a more than capable warrior and was trained at keeping a level head and handling emergencies.

"Look Sora, we'll talk more at home. I really need to go." Squall said impatiently as he headed towards the headmasters office.

Of course, thought Sora. Always too buys to talk.

Sora sighed, and turned to head back to class. No use being late to one of his classes on the first day.

Sora had barely made it to class and taken a seat beside Kairi when the bell rang. He had expected some kind of sarcastic remark from Kairi about almost being late, but she was so lost in thought that she didn't notice when he sat down beside her.

He studied her closely. Most people wouldn't be able to tell, but Sora knew her well enough to see that she was worried.

"Hey Kai" he whispered. "Are you okay?

She looked up and gave him a small smile. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just thinking"

Sora was about to ask her if she was positive when the teacher walked in and began talking.

He made up his mind to talk to her more about it later, but for now the bane of his existence. Math.

* * *

Yawning, Sora and Kairi walked out of the classroom.

"Is it possible to lose brain cells during a class?" Sora asked jokingly.

Kairi punched him on the arm. "Like you have any to lose as it is" she replied with a smirk.

Sora put a hurt look on his face and dramatically put a hand over his heart. "Ouch Kairi, that one cut deep."

Kairi just rolled her eyes while trying to stifle her own laughter. Sora was always good at cheering her up.

"C'mon, we have PE next and Riku is in there with us! We still have to change before class begins." she exclaimed as she hurried towards the gym.

They changed into their uniforms and quickly located Riku talking to a brown-haired girl named Yuna.

"Hey Riku, hey Yuna, what's up? Sora greeted.

Sora didn't really know Yuna well, but she had always been friendly towards him.

"We were just talking about who we wanted on our team for the semester." Riku replied.

Sora remembered that the curriculum had stated that this year they would be grouped into teams that would compete throughout the semester. Sora had hoped that he, Riku, and Kairi would be on the same team. Though he knew the odds of that were slim since he and Riku were usually the top competitors.

The coach was a young, energetic man named Zell who was a little too fond of blowing his whistle. Sora always wondered how he managed to get hired, but he had to admit he was really good at his job.

As if sensing Sora's thoughts the couch blew his whistle, signaling for everyone to line up. After doing the "first day" uniform check he began explaining what was in store for them for the semester.

The first couple of days would be almost like try-outs. They would be expected to compete in a variety of activities and the coach would score them depending on their effort and skill.

At the end of the week, they would be assigned into teams based on their scoring. The rating scale was from 1 to 5 and the students would never see what their score was.

The captains would then be selected based on their scores and they would turn in a list of who they wanted on their teams. If the same person was picked by multiple captains then the coach would have the final say.

After explaining, Zell quickly had them stretch and do their warmups. Afterwards, he had them line up for the first activity. The one mile run.

Sora lined up beside Riku. They had been rivals for as long as he could remember, and they always gave it their all when competing.

"You're going down Sora", Riku said as he settled into his starting position.

"Dream on", Sora replied while still smiling.

The whistle blew and then they were off

* * *

The rest of the day went by fairly quickly and no news about the attack on Radiant Gardens had been announced. Yet, all the students were talking about it, and even most of the teachers seemed oddly distracted.

All in all, Sora arrived home completely exhausted. Riku had ended up beating him in the mile run, but only barely. Sora decided he would make it his goal to beat him in the next activity no matter what. Kairi also placed fifth which was a pleasant surprise.

Nothing exciting happened in the rest of his classes. Kairi and Riku were both in the rest of his classes, with the exception of art. They had both chosen to take music instead.

Surprisingly, Sora was looking forward to the class. He enjoyed drawing even though he didn't think he was very good at it.

After school Sora bid farewell to Riku and Kairi and quickly made his way home. Usually, they would have hung out after school, but Sora was eager to see what his dad had learned about the attack.

He unlocked the front door to his house and noticed his father didn't seem to be home.

There was a note on the table from Sora's dad telling him that he would be working late. No surprise there with everything that's going on, thought Sora. He sighed, looks like he would have to wait a little longer to talk about what was going on. He walked back outside to the practice yard where he quickly ran through his training exercises that his dad had taught him. He had a feeling that he may need the extra practice in the near future. Plus, it always helped to clear his mind.

Afterwards, he quickly showered and then fixed himself some dinner. His dad was always working, so he had to learn to cook very early. He thought his cooking skills were passable, but there was definitely room for improvement.

As he was eating his thoughts kept drifting to Radiant Gardens. How had the heartless managed to attack? Were there any survivors?

Hopefully he could tell him more about what was going on.

Sora didn't dwell on it for too long. It wasn't long after his head hit the pillow that he fell asleep.

* * *

**References**

**-Cid from FF8 (I couldn't see FF7 Cid as being a headmaster)**

**-Squall from FF10**

**-Zell from FF8**

**-Selphie from FF8**

**-SeeD from FF8**

**-Yuna from FF10**

**-Tidus from FF10**

**I plan on bringing in more characters from different games in the future chapters. **


	4. Chapter 4: Voyage

**A/N Here the next chapter**

* * *

Sora awoke to the sound knocking on his bedroom door.

Checking his clock he noticed it was only eight thirty. He must have fallen asleep pretty early.

He groggily rolled out of bed and made his way to the door. Fumbling for the doorknob, he finally pulled it open. His dad stood there in his full combat uniform looking exhausted.

"Sora, I need your help"

It took a moment for his words to register in his half-asleep state.

Once his words processed, confusion hit Sora. Surely his dad could have recruited any of the SeeD members. Why ask him?

Realizing his dad was waiting for him to respond, he quickly asked, "With what? What's going on?"

His dad let out a sigh and leaned against the wall. Sora could tell the day had wore him down.

"One of my contacts in Radiant Gardens was supposed to evacuate with the last of the civilians. However, he never made it, and I just received an SOS from his gummi ship. He was headed here, but the SOS came from a world called Halloween Town. He may have had to crash land there."

"And you need me to go with you?" Sora asked skeptically.

His dad sighed and Sora could tell he was worried.

"Traverse Town is currently on red alert. The council has refused to allow any SeeD members to leave here in the unlikely event that a heartless attack occurs. Plus, I know that you are one of the best fighters because I trained you myself" Squall added with a smirk.

A wave of pride swept through Sora at his father's praise. His father was generally pretty tough on him, compliments didn't come very often

He dad continued, "Our goal is to get in, find my contact, and to get back here safely. Are you up for it?"

Sora thought about what his dad had just said. He could hardly fathom finally getting to see a new world, but this was much more important than the tasks his dad usually assigned him. Sora had been training for something like this since he could walk. He believed he was ready.

"Count me in" Sora eventually replied. "When do we leave?"

"I'll let you get dressed. Meet me at the launch pad in 15." Squall said as he turned to head back down stairs.

Sora quickly dressed and then checked his phone. He had a message from Kairi so he quickly opened it.

"Want to meet at the usual place w/ Riku 2night?"

He quickly typed a response letting her know he couldn't then headed to the launch pad. She would be upset he didn't call her and tell her what was going on, but he knew his dad wouldn't wait around if he was late. He didn't want to miss this opportunity.

Squall had given Sora weapon training since he was old enough to hold a sword, though they had practiced with many different types of weapons. His dad expected Sora, as the son of the SeeD commander, to know how to protect himself. Sora also believed it had something to do with his mother as well, but his dad never would tell him, that was always a touchy subject.

Sora boarded the Balamb, which was what his dad had named his gummi ship. He saw that his dad was already prepping the ship's systems. It was idling and the course had been mapped. The autopilot would take care of most of the driving unless a situation occurred where manual override was needed.

He quickly approached his father, anticipation running through his body.

"Sora, check the weapons in the armory. Halloween Town hasn't been invaded as far as I know, but you never know when you will run into obstacles." Squall commanded. "Better to be prepared than to be surprised".

Sora nodded his head in acknowledgment and walked to the armory. He quickly punched in the door code. The keypad flashed green and he heard the chime that indicated the correct code was entered. He quickly glanced around the room. He saw that his dad's weapon of choice, a gunblade, had been sharpened and was ready to go.

Such a strange weapon, Sora thought.

Sora was decent with a gunblade, but he preferred just a simple long sword. He selected one that was the perfect size for him to use. He put on his sword belt and made sure it was fastened securely. He then made his was back to the main cabin.

Sora knew that while a sword would work on the heartless it was not very effective. In other words, it took much more effort to destroy a heartless with a sword than it would a keyblade. Almost like their bodies were resistant to physical weapons. However, no one had received a keyblade since Terra, Aqua, and Ventus had made the sacrifice that secured the gates to the worlds. Fighting the heartless without a keyblade was only a last resort. Luckily, they hadn't had to worry about that. No heartless had been spotted since the sacrifice. Well, until the attack on Radiant Gardens.

Walking back to the cockpit, Sora took a seat beside his father. Unwilling to break the silence, Sora stared ahead watching the millions of stars fly by as they traveled faster than the speed of light. He wondered what they would face when they landed. He really didn't know what to expect.

Finally, unable to stand the silence any longer, Sora broke the silence by asking who they were looking for.

"The man we are looking for is named Cloud Strife. Similar to our SeeD, he heads up Soldier. The group dedicated to the protection of their world.

He stayed behind to ensure that all the civilians made it off the world safely. However, his ship never arrived. I've been scanning all frequencies to see if I can pick up a message or distress signal. A few hours ago, I stumbled onto this message. He reached down and pressed a button and a feminine voice came over the speaker.

"SOS, SOS, this is the Highwind. We have crash landed on a world in sector 3. Our ship has been critically damaged and hostiles are inbound. Please send help."

"I had thought Cloud traveled alone, but it seems like his daughter might be with him." Squall said.

The intercom chimed and then Sora heard the autopilot say that they would be arriving at their destination shortly. Sora leaned towards the window trying to get a look at the new world. He didn't know what to expect. Typically, inner-world travel was forbidden for most people. This was a once in a lifetime chance for Sora, who had always dreamed of visiting other worlds and seeing what was out there.

"So what's the plan" Sora asked his father. "Do we just walk around randomly hoping we find them?"

Squall laughed. "C'mon Sora, you know me better than that. Our first step is to make contact with the leader of the Halloween Town Defense Committee, Jack Skellington. Each world has a group dedicated to protecting it from the darkness, like our SeeD or Radiant Garden's Soldier. If you ever travel to a foreign world, the first step should always be to make contact with the leader of the defense group. This provides valuable intel on the world and its customs. "

Sora nodded and filed that information away on the off chance he would ever visit another world. The ship began its descent and they braced for the landing.

* * *

Before he knew it they had landed in an open field. The first thing that hit him when he took his first step onto the new world was how different it was. Growing up in a city he had seen plenty of things, but nothing like this. The whole place had a dark and gloomy feel to it. There were pumpkins and gargoyles everywhere.

"So what do you think?" his dad asked as he stepped up beside him.

"This is awesome!" Sora exclaimed. "It's so different from Traverse Town!"

"That it is" Squall laughed. "Just don't forget we are here on a mission, not just sight-seeing. Be prepared for anything."

"10-4" Sora said as he saluted his dad with a smirk.

"There is Cloud's ship" Squall said while pointing.

Sora glanced where his dad had indicated. Another gummi ship was parked in the distance. It was in rough shape and there were what looked like scorch marks all over it.

His dad moving drew his attention from the ship.

"There's a gate over there that looks like it leads into town. Let's start there and see what we can find."

Sora followed his father as they made their way to the gate. So far, Sora hadn't seen any of the locals, but he still had the distinct impression that he was being watched.

Even though it was dark out, Sora could see clearly due to the light from the moon. He noticed a hill in the distance that was curled in almost like a pinwheel.

He wondered how that was even possible.

Squall pushed the gate and the hinges let out a high pitched creak as the gate opened. It could definitely use some oil. Walking through the gate, they found themselves in what seemed to be a town square.

Sora noticed a fountain in the center. Yet, rather than the clear blue water he expected, he saw that the water was green.

"First rule of interplanetary travel, don't drink the water" Sora joked to himself.

Still glancing at the fountain, Sora caught movement in his peripheral vision.

Turning to follow the movement, he noticed what looked like a translucent form darting between buildings.

His dad was still inspecting the buildings in the square. Sora quickly moved his hand to the hilt of the sword. He moved towards were he had last seen movement, his eyes darting around trying to track the form.

Convinced that his mind was playing tricks on him, Sora relaxed and turned only to come face to face with the creature. He let out a surprised gasp and stumbled back into a barrel. Squall, hearing the noise, had his gunblade drawn and was at Sora's side in an instant. Who knew his dad could move that fast?

"Are you okay" he asked his son while scanning for threats.

Sheepishly, Sora rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I was just startled by some creature."

"Was it a heartless?" Squall asked with concern, his grip tightening on his gunblade.

Sora thought back to all the classes he had taken that taught about the heartless. This didn't seem like one of them. It wasn't one he recognized, at least.

"No, I don't think so." Sora paused for a second trying to come up with the right words that didn't make him look silly.

He sighed and just went for it. "It actually kinda looked like a dog" Sora explained.

"Wait, you're telling me you were frightened by a dog?" Squall asked incredulously.

"No! Well yes, but it wasn't a normal dog. I could see through it!" Sora defended himself.

"You must be taking about Zero" a voice said from behind them.

So much for always being aware. Halloween Town one. Sora zero.

The pair turned to be greeted by a tall, thin figure that wore a suit made of vertical pin stripes. That wasn't the odd part. The odd part was that the figure was basically a walking skeleton.

"Jack Skellington" Sora guessed. Now the name makes sense.

Squall quickly elbowed Sora. He must have known what he was thinking.

"Sorry, for intruding" Squall said diplomatically. "We are from the Travers Town SeeD organization and we have been tracing a distress beacon. You haven't come across any outsiders, have you?"

Jack, Sora assumed that was who they were talking to at least, put a finger to his chin and tilted his head in thought. "Outsiders? No. I don't believe so. We have been so busy in preparation for Halloween that I admit I haven't really been out much.

Jack must have noticed their crestfallen looks because he immediately continued.

"If it is outsiders you are looking for, I know someone who can help though." Jack said.

Jack let out a whistle and the same dog that Sora had spotted earlier floated up to Jack obediently. Sora gave Squall the "I told you so" look and then turned his attention back to Jack.

"Zero here has a great nose. If someone is here that doesn't belong he will definitely find them for you. I believe we would have noticed if outsiders were in town. I would check out towards the hill."

Squall nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"Thanks for your help. By the way, my name is Squall and this is my son Sora.

"Nice to meet you Squall and Sora. I'm Jack Skellington. I wish I could help you personally but we have so much to do to prepare for Halloween."

Squall waved away his concern. "You've already done a lot. Also, I just wanted to warn you that Radiant Gardens has been attacked by heartless even though the Locks are still intact."

Jack paused at hearing this and worry flashed across his face.

"Thanks for the warning. I will make sure we are prepared. Don't worry about not finding your friends" Jack said.

"Zero is an excellent guide. "

As if agreeing with Jack, Zero flew off then turned and barked. Taking this as their cue, Squall and Sora followed after him.

* * *

**Halloween Town has always been one of my favorite worlds. **

**Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. **

**Until next time! **


	5. Chapter 5: Encounter

**A/N: Hey guys! Here is the next chapter. If you have any questions or suggestions for the story please be sure to let me know. Also, please review. I can't tell if anyone actually likes the story so far or not.**

* * *

Life is crazy.

If someone mentioned to Sora yesterday that he would be trekking across an unknown world and following what could only be described as a ghost-dog he would have laughed in their face.

It's funny how fast life changes and the impossible becomes possible.

He spared a glance at his father. Nothing seemed to faze him. He looked determined, focused on the task at hand. Sora couldn't help but wonder if he had done something like this before. If he had, he never mentioned it to Sora. Though Sora supposed it wasn't the first thing his dad had kept from him.

He focused on his surroundings.

The terrain was interesting here. Sora could only see so far due to all the hills and valleys. They had been walking for about an hour, and they had just made it to the top of a hill when Squall signaled for them to stop. He knelt down. It looked to Sora like he was examining something on the ground. He called Sora over to him.

"Do you see these footprints? Notice how they overlap. There are two different sets which means two groups passed over this hill."

Sora examined them closely and noticed the two sets of prints. He nodded for his father to continue.

"The first set of footprints look to be left by humans. Looking at the second set I can't really tell what kind of creature made them, though I can tell they weren't far behind the first group."

Sora considered what he said. "That would make sense. It seems like something forced them away from the ship after they landed." he concluded.

Squall nodded. "That is exactly what I was thinking. Why would Cloud send out an emergency message and then abandon the landing zone. That would be the easiest place for us to find them. That doesn't make sense. Something was after him. Whatever was following them through space must have followed them here.

"Knowing Cloud", he continued, "he would head away from town in order to keep the inhabitants of this world safe."

Sora nodded his head in agreement. In fact, that had been bothering Sora since they arrived. They needed to get to Cloud before whatever was chasing him did.

Looking around, Sora suddenly noticed that Zero was missing, and he was about to call out to his dad to let him know when a high pitched scream pierced the night.

Sora looked at his dad and he could tell the same thought was going through both of their minds. Time had run out.

After only a second of hesitation, both Sora and his father took off at a sprint towards the direction of the scream. As he moved, Sora's hand instinctively moved to the hilt of his sword and he gripped it tightly.

They came to what appeared to be a graveyard. It didn't take them long to locate the source of the commotion.

Cornered against a massive mausoleum, Sora could see two people who were surrounded by thirty or so strange silver creatures.

The first figure was a lean man with spiky blonde hair who was wielding an enormous sword. He was using the sword to keep the attackers at bay and he seemed to be doing a good job.

He would lash out at any of the creatures that came within striking distance but they always seemed to avoid his attacks. Sora knew it was only a matter of time before he became exhausted and the creatures attacked in earnest.

Looking more closely, he noticed the man had already been injured. Blood was flowing freely from a wound in his side. He swapped his attention to the other person, and his breath caught in his throat.

The second figure was a pretty, young girl with a pale complexion and blonde hair. She wore blue jeans and a white shirt but she wasn't carrying any type of weapon.

She was backed up against the mausoleum, trying to put as much distance between her and the creatures as possible. Sora could tell she was panicking and he felt an overwhelming urge to protect her.

Thanks to Sora's battle training, he was able to take in all of those details in an instant. His dad always told him that being able to survey a battle to see where he was needed most was vitally important.

"Sora, protect the girl." his dad said with an intensity that Sora wasn't used to.

Sora nodded his head. Seeing that only two creatures blocked his path towards the girl on one side he decided to act. Wasting no time, he immediately sprinted for the two creatures to the right of the girl, drawing his sword as he ran. He slashed diagonally through the first creature as he ran by and immediately thrust his sword through the back of the second before they even realized he was there.

Having opened a path, Sora placed himself between the girl and the remaining enemies and settled into a defensive form. He still needed to be careful. He was greatly outnumbered.

He studied the creatures carefully. Their bodies were shaped like that of humans except they were completely silver. Their arms, rather than ending in hands, ended with what appeared to be blades. The creatures swayed as they moved. Sora studied them trying to find a weakness.

One of the creatures struck out at Sora. Not expecting the speed of the attack, Sora wasn't able to dodge completely and took a cut to his right arm. Expecting a counter-attack, Sora raised his sword. Yet, rather than focusing on him it shifted its attention towards the girl and pushed past him.

Yelling a warning and cursing himself for being fooled, Sora threw himself in front of the blade while raising his sword. He caught the strike on his blade and immediately shifted his opponents attack to the right. Following through on the motion, Sora sent his left elbow directly for the creatures head in a move he had practice a thousand times.

Surprisingly, the creature made a movement that didn't seem humanly possible and bent over backwards, evading the blow and backing off. The creatures seemed to be wary of him. That was good at least. If they all rushed at once he would be in trouble. Hopefully they weren't smart enough to figure that out.

He shifted his attention to his father and Cloud. They seemed to be having better luck than he was and were quickly overwhelming their foes. Sora was amazed at how his father fought.

He had practiced with him for years, but he had never seen anything like this. While the creatures seemed to flow as they moved, it was almost as if Squall could read their movements and predict where they would end up. Sora watched stunned as he cleanly cut one of the creature in two. Cloud, likewise was a formidable fighter. Even injured he was able to destroy many of the creatures. Sora wondered how he even managed to lift such a massive sword.

Watching them fight together, he had the impression that they had done this before. Shaking his head, he focused on the enemies that were left surrounding him.

There were six creature still left. He knew that all he had to do was hold them off until Cloud and Squall finished with the rest. Luckily, the creatures didn't seem to be too smart.

Occasionally one would dart in and test his defense but he always managed to turn them away. He could probably destroy them but his main concern was protecting the girl. If they made it past him she had no way of protecting herself and he refused to let that happen.

He glanced back briefly to see that she was shaking and her blue eyes were filled with tears. He could tell she had been through much. Her clothes were worn and she had a couple of minor injuries.

Sora had always been very protective of his friends, and even though he didn't know her, he felt the need to protect her as well. It was in his nature.

An indescribable anger welled up inside him. This girl's world was attacked. She lost people she loved along with it. And now, these creatures were here trying to harm her. Hadn't she been through enough?

Moving with incredible speed, Sora lashed out at the nearest creature with a horizontal slash. The blade sheared through the creature's waist before it could react and it dissolved as it fell to the ground. Sora looked around at the other creatures, daring them to make a move. Anger was coursing through him.

Sora glanced back to the girl. "Stay behind me. I will protect you no matter what. I promise" He told her, his voice firm.

He didn't hear a response because at that moment Cloud and Squall crashed into the rear of the remaining enemies and made short work of them.

As soon as the last foe vanished the girl immediately ran from behind Sora and threw her arms around her father, sobbing into his chest.

With the adrenaline wearing off, Sora finally noticed the pain in his arm from where he had been cut. He sat down and pulled some supplied from his bag. He began treating his wound. He was glad first aid had been one of the mandatory skills he learned at the academy.

He looked up when he heard his father approaching. His father glanced at his injury.

"Sora, you did well. I'm proud of you" Squall said.

Sora looked up at his father but he couldn't keep eye contact. "I should have done better." he said.

Squall looked at him quizzically. "Sora, you were outnumbered by an unknown foe with unknown capabilities while protecting someone and only managed to take a small cut. Not to mention the fact that you still managed to eliminate a few of them while preventing her from getting hurt. That sounds like a win to me."

Sora thought about what he said. That was true, but he looked over at his father and noticed he didn't even take a scratch.

Squall must have guessed what he was thinking.

"Look Sora, I've been training and fighting much longer than you. It comes with practice. You will get there one day."

His mind flashed back to the creature lunging at the girl. He was filled with shame. His mistake almost cost her.

"I messed up" Sora blurted out suddenly. "One of the creatures attacked me and i lowered my guard. It almost hurt her because I wasn't good enough." Sora said in shame.

Squall sighed. "Sora, sometimes I forget how much like your mother you truly are. She always wanted to save everyone. She always put the needs of others above herself and did her best to prevent anyone from getting hurt no matter the cost."

He continued. "Listen, you are going to make mistakes. That is part of being human and growing. The important thing is to not keep making the same mistake. Make it once, learn from it and then fix it. If you feel like you aren't good enough then train to get better. Always seek to improve."

Squall put a hand on his shoulder and then continued. "But I stick by what I said. You did great out there."

Sora was about to respond when he heard Cloud approaching. "Leon, thank you for coming. I wasn't sure if anyone would pick up the distress call. I'm not sure what would have happened if you two didn't show" Cloud said appreciatively.

"Leon?" Sora thought. Does he have him confused for someone else?

"I actually go by Squall now." Squall said.

Cloud raised his eyebrow at this, and Sora looked towards his dad confusion evident on his face.

His dad continued speaking.

"But don't mentioned it Cloud, you know I would never abandon anyone, especially a friend. As soon as it was reported that your ship hadn't come in I knew something was wrong. Traverse Town is on red alert so I couldn't bring a team. Luckily for me, my son is a pretty good fighter." Squall said while smiling and gesturing towards Sora.

Sora could immediately feel Cloud's gaze on him. it was a bit intimidating. Cloud just gave him a small smile and stuck out his hand.

"Thank you for your help Sora. You may not remember me but my name is Cloud Strife."

They had met before? That was news to Sora.

Sora shook his hand, marveling at the strength of his grip.

Cloud motioned for the girl to step forward. "And this is my daughter Naminé "

Sora didn't think Naminé was going to say anything but eventually she thanked them in a small voice while still looking down.

He could tell the last day had been tough on her, and he felt a pang of sympathy. He couldn't imagine what she had been through.

"Sora, why don't you go ahead and take Naminé to the ship to get something to eat and rest up" Squall suggested. Something about his tone worried Sora but he didn't want to let it show in front of Naminé.

"Sure" Sora said. "C'mon Naminé. I'll show you to the ship." He said. "Besides, it seems like the adults have something to talk about without us kids around." he whispered to her while grinning.

She looked hesitantly at Sora, but she eventually nodded.

They were halfway across the field when they heard a strange noise. Turning towards the sound, Sora noticed darkness pouring in from what looked to be a door that had appeared in thin air. The door separated Sora and Naminé from Squall and Cloud. Stepping out of the portal was a man wearing a long black coat. His face was hidden beneath the hood.

Something about the man screamed danger and Sora quickly drew his sword. The man locked eyes on them and then in a flash he appeared before Sora with his sword raised. Sora barely had time to react, and instinct alone allowed him to bring his sword up to try and block the blow.

However, Sora wasn't prepared for the man's blow to cleave completely through his sword. The blade continued through, making a gash from Sora's collarbone to his waist.

Sora's world exploded into a haze of pain and he heard Naminé cry out.

The pain was intense.

As he fell to the ground, he wondered why his dad and Cloud hadn't made it to them yet. Surely they had noticed the man appear. As he landed on the ground his eyes locked on the door. Heartless were streaming out of it. Sora heard his father yell something, but he couldn't make it out through the pain.

The man, seemingly satisfied that Sora was out of the picture, turned his attention towards Naminé. He once again raised his sword preparing to strike her down. Sora was urging her to run, but she stayed, kneeling at his side, trying to help him up. What was she doing?

She was being so brave. Why didn't she run?

This is it Sora thought. We are both going to die. Riku and Kairi flashed through his mind.

"Please Sora, don't leave me", she cried. Her words cut deeper than the sword.

The words Sora had spoken earlier echoed in his mind.

_I will protect you no matter what. I promise._

Sora felt a burning sensation in his chest. Using the last bit of his strength, Sora somehow managed to get to his feet.

The man gave him a wicked smile. "Not dead yet, I see. Well we can change that." he said in a gravely voice.

Sora stood, his legs shaking. He placed himself once again between the man and Naminé. The pieces of his broken sword lying on the ground at his feet. He needed to buy Naminé time to run. Yet, she didn't move.

Sora's anger continued to build, and with it a sensation of heat started filling him. He wouldn't let the man hurt her while he still drew breath.

His foe brought his sword down.

Time seemed to slow.

The heat that was building inside of Sora exploded outwards in a violent wave of fire. The wave crashed into the cloaked figure throwing him several feet away where he skidded across the ground and then lay still.

Time returned to normal as Sora felt an incredible drain on his body and he immediately sagged to the ground. He could hardly think straight.

Once again, a voice pierced the haze and he zeroed in on it.

"Dad!" Naminé screamed.

Fighting to stay awake, Sora tried to focus on Cloud.

There are some moments that will stay with you forever. So horrible that they are seared into your memories.

Sora saw what seemed like thousands of heartless, and they now separated them from both of their fathers. Worse than that though was what Sora saw next.

Cloud was on his knees and surrounded by heartless. He had a dozen different wounds, but the worst was a shadowy tentacle that had pierced his chest. His eyes were locked onto those of his daughter and he mouthed three words as he fell disappearing to shadow.

Struggling to rise, Sora needed to fight his way to where Cloud was. He wouldn't leave him even if it meant dying himself. Using what was left of his strength he forced himself to his feet and took a step towards Cloud. It was too much. The last thing to flash before his eyes were the words Cloud had mouthed to his daughter.

I love you.

* * *

**T****his was a hard chapter to write. I know that there is much that needs to be explained.**

**The silver enemies are the dusk nobodies from the games. Hopefully the combat didn't seem to forced.**


	6. Chapter 6: Return

**A/N: New chapter! Read and review please!  
**

* * *

Sora was sitting on the palm tree on the little island watching the sunset. It had always been one of his favorite places. He watched the horizon, admiring the way the sky met the sea. It was so tranquil.

"I figured I would find you here." a voice said.

Sora didn't need to turn around. He would recognize that voice anywhere.

"It's so peaceful here. I always come here when I need to think" he responded, never taking his eyes off the ocean.

Kairi sat down beside him, close enough that their shoulders were touching.

They sat in silence. The only sound the waves crashing against the shore

Finally, Sora broke the silence. "I wondered if it would be you or Riku who came."

She turned her face towards him, "Riku wanted to be here as well, but he thought it should be me. Something about how I'm more tactful or something. If you can imagine that." she said with a small smile and humor in her voice.

Normally, that would have brought a smile to Sora's face, but he just couldn't manage one right now. He didn't feel like smiling when everything was so wrong.

"Thank you Kairi" Sora said. "It just doesn't seem fair, y'know?"

Kairi nodded her head, completely agreeing. "It's not Sora. Your mom was one of the kindest people I have ever met. She would do anything to help someone in need and would never do anything to hurt anyone."

She noticed Sora tense up as she mentioned his mother. She glanced at him, wondering if she had upset him.

Then, his shoulders suddenly slumped like the fight had gone out of him and Kairi saw something that she would never forget.

Happy-go lucky Sora, the boy who always had a huge smile on his face, had tears streaming down his face.

Kairi felt her heart shatter into a million pieces.

Wordlessly, she threw her arms around him and pulled him close. She couldn't imagine the hurt that he was currently feeling. She felt him shake as he sobbed into her shoulder.

They sat like that for what seemed like an eternity. The sun had already disappeared beyond the horizon when Sora finally spoke up again. His voice laced with emotion.

"I'm going to miss her so much." he said.

Kairi knew there was nothing she could say. She remained silent, simply being there for him

Finally, Sora wiped his eyes and stood up. He looked at Kairi and held out his hand to her.  
She took his hand and let him pull her to her feet. His eyes were bloodshot, but Kairi could tell that he was feeling better, at least a little.

"C'mon Kai, let's go home" Sora said, never letting go of Kairi's hand.

* * *

The first thing Sora noticed was the pain. He felt like he had been hit by a truck.

He tried to sit up and immediately regretted it as his body was wracked with pain.

He settled for just opening his eyes. Taking in his surroundings, he realized he had no clue where he was. He was oddly calm for waking up in a foreign place.

It looked like he was in a laboratory. There were bookshelves around the room and there seemed to be many different high tech gadgets.

Where was he? Or better yet, how in the world did he get here?

His brain worked to piece together what had happened. He remembered they had gone to search for his father's missing friend. They found them being attacked by the strange grey creatures…

Suddenly he remembered.

"Naminé" he shouted as he forced himself to sit up.

"Easy there, Sora. She's finally fallen asleep in the other room, and after what she has been through she needs her rest." Jack Skellington said as he walked into the room.

He handed Sora a glass of water that he immediately drained.

Jack must have saved them after he passed out. That explained it.

"How long was I out?" Sora asked.

"Two days." Jack replied. "Your wound was pretty serious. Naminé hardly left your side the whole time."

The last thing he had seen flashed through his mind.

"Cloud?" Sora asked hopefully.

"I'm sorry Sora. There was no trace of anyone other than you and Naminé." Jack said with a frown.

"I arrived just in time to see someone in a cloak leaving through a portal of darkness. It was all I could do to get you and Naminé to safety."

Sora swallowed down his disappointment. "And the heartless?" He asked.

Jack didn't answer immediately and Sora wondered if he was going to.

Finally he sighed and then answered, "They shouldn't have been able to come here. The Locks of Light still surround this world. We were able to eliminate most of them, but some escaped and we lost many good people doing so."

Sora could feel the sadness in his words and immediately regretted asking.

"Thank you for saving us, Jack." Sora said wholeheartedly.

Jack simply nodded then he spoke, "If it weren't for your warning, the heartless would have caught us off guard. We owe you and your father our thanks as well."

He then pointed to the bandage that was across Sora's chest.

"The doctor patched up your wounds. I just thought I would come cast a healing spell to hasten your recovery."

"Curaga!" Jack said as he placed a hand over Sora's wound.

Sora felt a strange, cool sensation and the pain suddenly vanished.

"There you go. You may still be a little sore, but you are fit for travel now."

Sora was testing out his wound when Jack's words finally registered.

He was about to protest. He wanted to stay and help. Not to mention the fact that he still wanted to look for Cloud and his father.

Jack cut him off. "Sora, you need to get Naminé to safety. While I don't doubt your ability, she is in no condition to fight. She needs you."

Sora's mind flashed to his dad telling him to protect her. He knew that Jack was right. He couldn't just abandon her. He had promised he would protect her after all.

Sora reluctantly nodded.

"Great!" Jack said. "Your clothes were ruined in the battle, but luckily we had some that will fit you in town. After you get dressed you and Naminé need to head back to the gummi ship. Don't worry though, if we have any news about your or Naminé's father we will let you know."

He placed a bundle beside the bed.

"Thank you again, Jack" Sora said.

Jack smiled at him and then shook Sora's hand. He then walked out of the room.

Sora slowly stood, and was amazed that he felt no pain. He really needed to learn to use the cure spell.

He checked out the clothes Jack had left him. Go figure they were all black. Not typically Sora's style, but beggars can't be choosers.

It was time to go home.

* * *

After saying their goodbyes, Sora and Naminé boarded the gummi ship.

Naminé had been silent but Sora didn't blame her. He couldn't get the images of Cloud being impaled by the shadow out of his head. He could only imagine how she felt.

His thoughts wandered back to when he lost his mother, but he quickly shook his head. No reason to dwell on the past.

"Hey Naminé" he said, turning toward the girl. She jumped at the sound of his voice.

"There is a bunk in the back room. The door on the left has a shower. You can go get cleaned up and rest. There should be spare clothes in the closet. If you need anything just holler."

She didn't say anything but she headed towards the back room. She still seemed to be in a daze.

Sora sighed as he collapsed into the chair. He was so bad at this. He wished Kairi was here. She would know how to cheer her up.

Thinking of Kairi made him realize how mad she was going to be. He was definitely going to have to make it up to her.  
That would have to wait though.

He got to work setting up the flight path and checking for messages. He was hoping that his dad had somehow escaped and managed to send something. No luck. Sora hit the console in frustration. The previous days events were weighing on him. What was he supposed to do now?

He couldn't dwell on it though. His priority was to make sure Naminé was safe.

He wondered how she was holding up.  
As if aware of his thoughts, he heard the door open and Naminé walked in.

All the dirt and grime were gone but her eyes still looked haunted. Sora imagined she had a while to go before she would be back to her normal self.

Without saying a word she took a seat beside him. She pulled her knees up to her chest and put her arms around them resting her chin on her knees.

Sora tried to think of what to say to her, but his mind went blank.

Think. Think! he mentally scolded himself.

"Thank you." she said in a small voice, still looking down.

Sora looked up at her, shocked.

He didn't know what to say. She was thanking him but he didn't know what for. He had failed. He wasn't able to save her father.

She continued, her voice thick with emotion, "I don't know what to do now. Radiant Gardens was overrun and now dad is gone."

He could tell that she was close to breaking down.

Sora once again felt the indescribable anger. Anger at the heartless for putting tears in her eyes, for hurting her.

Taking a breathe to calm himself, "Naminé, I know you don't know me very well, but I am going to stick by my promise. I will protect you no matter what." he told her.

She finally met his gaze, with tears in her eyes. "Really?"

Sora's heart dropped. Did she think he was going to abandon her?

"Of course!" he said, giving her a smile. "For now, we will head back to my world, Traverse Town. That is where the refugees from Radiant Garden should be. Once there, we can meet with the mayor and see what plans are being made to take back your world. After that, we'll search for our fathers."

Sora had no clue if any plans were being made to retake Radiant Garden, but he felt the need to reassure her.

She nodded. After a few minutes she spoke again. "Can you tell me about Traverse Town" she asked him timidly.

"Sure!" He replied excitedly, glad that she was talking. "The city is just like any other city, but there are a chain of islands near the city that are amazing. They are called the Destiny Islands. Me and my friends Riku and Kairi spend a lot of time there."

"There's a paopu tree that is hanging over the ocean. It's my favorite spot to sit and think."

"What is the ocean like? she asked.

Sora was surprised. He didn't realize you couldn't see the ocean from Radiant Gardens.

"It seems to stretch on forever" he said. "It's so peaceful listening to the waves crash against the shore."

"It sounds wonderful" she said.

"It is, I will show you one day." he said with a wide smile.

He was just about to tell her more about Traverse Town when a voice came over the intercom telling them that they were going to be landing shortly.

He prepped the landing gear and watched as his home came into view.

The ship slowly descended and came to a stop on the landing pad.

He turned to ask Naminé what she thought only to realize she had fallen asleep.

She looked so peaceful sleeping. He really didn't want to wake her up.  
Making a decision, Sora decided he would just carry her in.

Careful not to wake her, he scooped her up into his arms. She felt so light.

He carried her inside and gently laid her down on the bed in the spare room. He tucked her in and headed back to the ship.

His dad had made him run through the checklist of things that needed to be done after a flight in the gummi ship. He quickly refueled the ship and restocked all of the supplies they had used.

Once he was satisfied, he made his way back to his room. Checking his phone he saw a bunch of missed messages from Kairi end even one from Riku. He should have taken the time to tell them what was going on before he left.

He hadn't expected to be gone for as long as he was. He quickly typed a reply telling them he would explain tomorrow and then sent it.

He sat his phone on his bedside table and fell backwards onto his bed.

Reaching over, he pulled a picture off of his desk. It was of his family before his mom died. They were all standing in front of the ocean. His mom had flagged down a random beach goer to take the picture even though his dad told her that wasn't a good idea. They were all smiling, even his dad.

Life was so much simpler then.

Now, it was just Sora. He had lost his mom, and now he didn't know if his dad was still alive.

He had tried so hard to be strong for Naminé but finally the weight of despair was catching up to him.

Eventually he was able to doze off. The picture of his family still clutched tight in his hand.

* * *

**Some of Sora's backstory explained. I don't feel like I'm too good at writing sad stuff so hopefully this chapter wasn't too hard to read.**


	7. Chapter 7: Plans

**A/N: The story continues!**

**I own nothing but the thoughts in my head.**

* * *

"Sora, get your lazy butt up and open this door!"

That was the first thing Sora heard as he was roused from his sleep.

Rolling over, he checked his clock to see that it was almost noon. He couldn't remember the last time he had slept this late.

Groaning, he forced himself out of his bed. Muttering to himself, he made his way to the front door. He pulled it open and was about to give whoever it was an earful for waking him so rudely when a hand collided with his face.

Apparently his visitor was still in the process of banging on the door when he abruptly opened it. The result was his face receiving the knock that was meant for the door.

"Oh my gosh, Sora! I am so sorry! I didn't expect you to open the door so quickly."

_She didn't look sorry_ he thought to himself.

Sora sighed. He knew it was useless to try and stay mad at Kairi. She was a master at pouting.

"It's okay, Kai. I know you didn't mean to, but seriously, what are you doing banging on my door like that? It sounded like the house was falling down."

Kairi folded her arms and glared at him.

"Well if someone would have answered his phone the three times I called this wouldn't have been a problem"

_Oh uh,_ Sora thought.

He didn't remember his phone going off. Then again, he didn't remember ever taking it off of silent.

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry, i guess I left it on silent again" he said.

He pulled the door open the rest of the way and gestured for Kairi to come in. He led the way back to the living room. Not that Kairi needed to be shown, she treated his house like her own.

She picked her usual spot on the couch and sat down. Sora reluctantly sat down beside her. He was too aware that he hadn't had a chance to get cleaned up this morning. Luckily, if Kairi noticed she kept it to herself.

"Well Riku and I were going to see if you wanted to go to the beach today, but seeing as it's already noon that's probably a no-go."

She definitely sounded disappointed.

Sora sighed. "I'm sorry Kairi. I would have loved to. I've just had a lot going on the last couple of days."

She looked at him curiously, waiting for him to explain.

Taking a deep breath and collecting his thoughts, he prepared to tell her all that had transpired.

However, fate was cruel and Naminé chose that moment to enter the room.

_Huh_, Sora thought. _I wondered where she was._

If the situation were less serious, he would have laughed as so many different emotions flashed across Kairi's face at seeing Naminé.

First, he noticed shock. Next disbelief. After that, he could have sworn he saw a look of hurt. That quickly morphed to one of anger.

Sora quickly realized he was in trouble.

"Oh. I see why you were so busy that you couldn't hang out with us now", Kairi said with hurt in her voice as she stood up suddenly.

Warning bells were going off in Sora's head and he knew he had to stop her from leaving so he could explain.

She turned to go but Sora quickly reached out and grabbed her hand. "Kairi, this isn't what you think" he said. "Just let me explain."

She didn't answer immediately and he was certain that she was going to refuse. Finally, after what seemed like ages, she gave him a quick nod and sat back down.

Naminé was still standing in the doorway. She looked like she was torn between running out of the room or staying. The poor girl didn't know what she just walked in on.

"Naminé, why don't you have a seat too?" Sora suggested.

She gave him a shy nod and then joined them on the couch. He could have sworn that he saw Kairi ball her hand into a fist when Naminé sat down beside him.

"First things first" Sora began, "Naminé, this is my best friend Kairi. I've known her since I was little."

Naminé glanced shyly at Kairi, but Kairi's expression remained cold. This really wasn't like her. Kairi has always been really friendly.

Sora continued, confused by her response. "Kairi, this is Naminé. It's a long story, but she is from Radiant Gardens."

As soon as the words left Sora's lips he could see the confusion on Kairi's face. He continued to watch her as she put the pieces together in her head. She always was a smart girl. He could practically see the gears turning.

"Radiant Gardens?" Kairi asked. "Does that mean you went there?"

"Not exactly" he responded. He then proceeded to tell her about what had occurred on Halloween Town.

When he finished the story, Kairi sat there in silence, tears glistening in her eyes.

"Naminé had nowhere else to go. I promised I would protect her so I told her she could stay with me until we get things worked out." Sora told her gently.

"I didn't lie to you Kairi. I really was busy. I know I should have told you before I left. I'm sorry."

Naminé had remained silent throughout the whole story. He really wished she didn't have to relive the events from yesterday but there was nothing he could do about that.

Though he didn't quite understand why Kairi had been so upset, Sora could tell she was ashamed of the reaction she had.

Wiping her eyes, Kairi stuck out her hand towards Naminé.

"It's nice to meet you Naminé. I hope we can be friends", she said with a genuine smile.

Naminé met Sora's eyes and he smiled at her encouragingly.  
She took Kairi's hand and gave her a smile of her own.

"Me too" she said quietly.  
Sora let out a sigh of relief.

Girls are weird.

* * *

Kairi spent the rest of the afternoon getting to know Naminé, not that Sora minded. He knew that Kairi would be much better at cheering Naminé up than he was.

He was amazed at how much she had changed already.

Though she was still quiet for the most part, Naminé was actually joining in the conversation. Progress!

He smiled as he watched her and Kairi interact. They were currently telling each other about their hobbies.

Kairi had always been the athletic type. Sora would bet that she was one of the most athletic girls at the academy. Growing up, she always competed in everything with Sora and Riku. While she didn't take it to the level they did, she still enjoyed winning and would rub it in when she did.

Naminé, it seemed, was more of the artistic type. She explained that she always loved drawing and had taken many classes at Radiant Gardens. Sora wasn't surprised. He had heard that Radiant Gardens boasted some of the most talented artists. He made a mental note to find her a sketch pad.

Kairi had joked that maybe she could teach Sora to draw. He was offended. His drawings weren't THAT bad.

As different as their personalities were, Sora could tell that they were going to be good friends.  
Loud, outspoken Kairi and quiet, reserved Naminé. What a pair, Sora thought.

While they continued talking, Sora contemplated what he should do next. He knew he would eventually have to talk to the headmaster.

Cid needed to know what happened on Halloween Town. Sora also figured he needed to know about Naminé. Technically, visitors from other worlds had to be approved by the Council, but seeing as it was an emergency, Sora thought they would understand.

Sora realized that both Naminé and Kairi were staring at him. Apparently he had missed Kairi asking him a question.

"Uh, sorry Kairi. What was the question?"

Kairi sighed and rolled her eyes and Naminé giggled.

"I asked what your plan is now." she said.

"I need to go talk with Cid to tell him everything that has happened. Hopefully, he will have a plan on what to do next." he replied.

"In that case", Kairi said, "Why don't I take Naminé out sight-seeing? I"m sure she doesn't want to be cooped up in some office."

Sora gave Kairi a relieved smile. "Sure Kai, that's a great idea."

Sora suddenly had an idea and stood up quickly.

"Oh wait, be right back!" Sora quickly rushed upstairs to his room before either could say anything. He pulled open a drawer in his desk and grabbed a little silver card and then rushed back downstairs.

Kairi and Naminé were both looking at him funny.

He handed the silver card to Naminé. "Here take this."

Kairi squealed and clapped her hands when she saw it.

"Sora! That's a great idea!"

Naminé still looked confused. "What is it?" she asked.

"That", Sora said, "is my Mog card."

"It's a form of currency here on Traverse Town. I've been helping my dad with SeeD missions for a while now. After every mission, dad would give me a small amount of the payment so I have quite a bit saved up." Sora explained.

"After Kairi shows you around she can take you shopping to pick up some clothes and any other things you might need."

The words had barely left his mouth when Naminé threw her arms around him. Sora could feel his cheeks warming up.

The power of promising new clothes. He could get used to this.

"Thank you Sora. I don't know how I can ever repay you."

She must have just realized what she did because she quickly let go and took a step back. Her cheeks were also red.

Kairi remained oddly silent.

"Don't worry about it Naminé. That's what friends are for" Sora said cheerfully.

* * *

Kairi and Naminé had left shortly after that and Sora made his way towards the school.  
Not being able to drive yet, he just decided to walk.

It only took him about ten minutes to reach the gates of Traverse Town Academy. They were currently closed seeing as it was the weekend.

He stopped by the guard shack to see who was on duty. He saw a younger man sitting in a chair with his feet on the desk.

The cowboy hat, long hair, and trench coat gave away his identity immediately.  
Sora had been on missions with him before. He was one of their best sharp shooters.

"Hey Irvine" Sora said casually. 'Mind letting me in to see the headmaster? I need to report on my last mission."

"Sure thing, kiddo."

Sora sighed. Even though he had been on countless missions with Irvine, he still insisted on calling him kiddo.

Irvine reached over and pressed the button and the gate slowly swung open. Sora thanked him and made his way to the administration office.

The main campus of TTA had six different buildings. The main building, which was in the center of the front half of campus, consisted of just the classrooms. Surrounding that main building were the dormitories. The guys on the left and the girls on the right.

Sora always wondered what it would be like staying on campus. However, since he lived so close he wasn't given the option.

Those three buildings made up the front half of campus. The back half consisted of the administration office, the cafeteria, and the medical building. They mirrored the layout of the front half with the cafeteria being the biggest and most centrally located.

Sora quickly made his way to the administration office. Since it was the weekend the campus was mostly empty. He did see a few students but none that he knew well.

He arrived at the door and was about to knock when he noticed it was slightly ajar. He could hear voices on the other side.

"Cid, you know how serious this is. We have no choice. You heard how quickly Radiant Gardens fell." a voice said from behind the door.

The voice sounded vaguely familiar to Sora but he couldn't quite place it.

"That's enough. We need to buy enough time for everyone to make it to the school in the event of an emergency. I won't abandon the people." someone said. Sora recognized the voice. It was the headmaster.

"Fine." the first voice said, "Do what you will. It will be on you if we don't survive this."

Sora heard the figure approaching the door and quickly took a step back. The door opened and he came face to face with a tall, striking man with platinum hair. He carried with him a thin sword that looked to be longer than Sora's whole body.

"Out of my way, boy" he said forcefully.

Sora quickly stepped to the side to let him pass. He watched as the man stormed off. He wondered what his problem was.

Cid noticed him standing there.

"Sorry about that Sora. How can I help you?" Cid said from behind him.

Not wasting any time, Sora quickly began to recount all that had happened on Halloween Town. As the story continued he noticed the headmasters face darken at the news. By the end Sora could tell he had been shaken.

"Thank you for updating me, Sora. This is grave news, indeed." Cid said while pacing back and forth. The worry evident in his voice.

"I will inform the council and try to convince them that we need to send a rescue party to search for Squall and to determine if Cloud survived. Tensions are high right now and the council is being rather difficult, but we need Squall here."

Sora reluctantly nodded. He knew that was the best he could hope for. Cid wouldn't abandon his father. It was the council that would be the problem.

"As for Naminé, I don't foresee a problem with her staying. Surely the council will understand the situation that brought her here without authorization. I will bring it before them tomorrow, and she is welcome to stay in the dorms if needed.

Sora wasn't sure how she would feel about staying in the dorms. Maybe he could convince Kairi to let her stay with her.

"Thank you sir."

"Is there anything else Sora?" the headmaster asked.

Sora was tempted to bring up what he had overheard but he decided against it. It was better if they didn't think he was eavesdropping.

"No sir, that is it." Sora said. He quickly saluted and then exited the office.

* * *

**Another chapter up. Please if you get to this point in reading let me know what you think.**

**I've got an overall idea of where I want to go with the story, but I always value input from others.**


	8. Chapter 8: Friendship

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it has been so long. I've been really busy with the holidays and whatnot. Don't worry, I haven't given up on the story. **

* * *

Sora arrived home only to find that Kairi and Naminé still weren't back yet.

He laughed to himself. He had dodged a bullet. He knew how some girls got when it came to shopping, and there was a whole list of things he would rather do.

Looks like he had the evening to himself.

He quickly made his way to the training room. As the SeeD commander, his dad had a facility built that was on the cutting edge of technology. Sora had spent much time here.

The square room looked to be empty except for the weapon rack on the far corner and a lone control panel.

He walked over to the weapon rack and grabbed a simple sword. Testing the balance he swung it back and forth a few times. Satisfied, he then walked over to the control panel and hit a few buttons.

Immediately, the lights dimmed and countdown began over the speakers.

Taking a breath, Sora steadied himself.

When the timer finally went off, Sora sprang into action.

A shadow heartless had formed right in from of him. Even though it was just a hologram created by the program, Sora couldn't help but think back to the horde of heartless he saw emerging from the portal on Halloween Town. He shivered.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he lunged at the creature. His sword passed through the shadow and it disappeared. One down.

He sidestepped as another formed and quickly made a horizontal slash. The creature sank into the ground and his sword passed through air. Anticipating where the creature would emerge, he wasted no time and spun around bringing his sword down on the heartless.

He made short work of the shadow heartless and soon the difficulty picked up.

Two soldier heartless formed. Sora was on the first one before it could get an attack off.  
He finished it with a quick slash.

Hearing movement behind him, Sora quickly rolled to his left. The other heartless had landed where he had just stood.

Though they couldn't actually hurt him, the settings allowed for electric shocks to be given any time he was damaged by the holographic enemies.

The creature spun in a circle and launched itself at him in a cyclone. Backpedaling, Sora tried to avoid the creature.

He was mostly successful. He dodged the majority of the blow, but was clipped on his left shoulder. Immediately a shock went through his arm.

He gritted his teeth. He needed to be faster. He put more space between the heartless and himself.

He considered the heartless before him. He knew they tended to favor the cyclone style attack. Thinking through its attack pattern, Sora came up with a plan.

He moved in range of its attack, waiting for the sign that it was about to use the same move again. He had to time this perfectly.

Finally, he saw the creature begin to crouch down. The sign he was waiting for. He dashed forward sliding on his knees before he reached his foe. The creature launched itself into the air, spinning towards where he had been standing. He knew it couldn't change its trajectory. As he slid, Sora thrust his sword straight up in the air in the path the heartless took. The result was that creature was cleanly cut in two.

Getting back to his feet, Sora debated moving on to the next level of difficulty. His mind kept flashing back to the battle on Halloween Town and his dads words. He needed to improve.

However, the choice was made for him when he heard the sound of clapping and looked up to see Kairi and Naminé watching him from the observation room. They seemed impressed. He smiled and gave them a wave. Training could wait.

Walking to the control panel, he quickly shut down the program and returned the sword to its place on the rack.

He walked through the door to the observation room where Kairi and Naminé were waiting.

"You've gotten better" Kairi told him with a smile.

Sora rubbed the back of his head and grinned sheepishly.

"I've trained here so often that it has become pretty easy to guess how the holograms are going to act." he said.

"Always so modest" Kairi said while poking him in the side. He pushed her hand away, grinning.

"How did your shopping trip go?" Sora asked in a desperate bid to change the topic. He never was comfortable with receiving praise.

Words exploded out of Kairi's mouth as she began telling him every single detail about their trip. He didn't even know it was possible to talk that fast. He tried to keep up but it was hopeless.

While she was talking Sora's eyes wandered towards Naminé. She was staring at the room with a determined look on her face. He wondered what that was about. He would have to ask her later.

Finally, Kairi finished recounting their day. From what he gathered, they were able to find everything Naminé needed and to see quite a bit of the town.

"So what did you think of Traverse Town?" Sora asked as he turned his attention back to Naminé.

"It's a lot different than Radiant Gardens" she said.

Sora nodded, thinking back to Halloween Town.

"Just wait until you see the islands" he said excitedly. "I know you will love them"

She smiled at him. "I can't wait".

* * *

After getting cleaned up, Sora asked Kairi what she had planned for dinner.

Apparently, she had made the executive decision that Sora was going to order a pizza and they were going to watch movies.

He knew it was pointless to argue with her. Once she made up her mind it was near impossible to change it. Plus, pizza sounded pretty good.

So Sora did just that. After asking Kairi and Naminé what type of pizza they wanted, he called the order in.

He hung up the phone and went to see what trouble Kairi and Naminé were getting into. He found them in the living room going through his stack of movies.

He watched them quietly as they laughed and joked while debating over which movie to watch. It was good to see Naminé smiling and having fun.

Sora heard the doorbell ring and went to open the door. He expected it to be the pizza delivery guy, but instead it was Riku standing there.

"Yo Sora! I heard we are having a movie night." he said as he walked into the house.

Sora felt bad. He hadn't even thought of inviting Riku. Luckily, Kairi must have.

Sora rolled his eyes. "Like I had a choice. You know how Kairi gets"

"I heard that!" Kairi yelled from the other room.

Sora and Riku both laughed.

They walked into the room where the girls had finally decided on a movie.

Sora quickly introduced Naminé to Riku. They were just about to start the movie when the doorbell rang again.

"Don't worry, I got it" Sora said as he noticed no one else had moved.

Sora again opened the door. It was the pizza this time. He quickly paid the man and brought the food into the kitchen.

"Food is here." he yelled into the other room while pulling out the plates.

The other three rushed into the kitchen. Clearly they were starving.

They all took a seat at the table and Sora handed each of them a plate.

"So, Naminé" Riku started "what is the best place to eat on Radiant Gardens".

Riku had caught Naminé in the middle of taking a bite and she held up a finger as she swallowed her food.

Sora and Kairi laughed. Riku had probably done that on purpose.

"That's easy" she replied. "Scrooge's shop".

"All the food is good, but the ice cream is the best."

"Aww, now I want ice cream!" Kairi whined.

Sora checked the freezer. "Well, it's your lucky day, looks like we have some sea salt ice cream left over."

After they finished eating they all piled into the living room to watch the movie they had picked out.

It was about a prince and his three friends who were forced to leave the city when the king was killed. They then drove around the country trying to evade soldiers while recovering artifacts to make the prince stronger.

Sora could have sworn he even saw Riku wipe his eyes at one particularly sad scene.

It was late when the movie finally ended. Kairi, of course, hadn't even made it through the movie. She was already out.

No surprise there, Sora thought.

Riku and Naminé seemed to be having a deep discussion about the movie.

Sora gently lifted Kairi off the couch. He decided to let her take his room for the night. When he picked her up her head rested against his chest and she snuggled against him. He was glad that neither Naminé or Riku could see him because he was pretty sure he was blushing.

He laid her on his bed and tucked her in. She actually looked peaceful when she was sleeping.  
Much different than the hyperactive girl she usually was. He brushed her hair out of her eyes and turned the light off as he left.

He walked downstairs to find Riku and Naminé still talking. He was glad. She needed as many friends as she could get with all that she had been through.

"Riku, you are welcome to crash on the couch down here. I've already given Naminé the guest room and Kairi is currently taking mine."

"Sounds good" he replied. "I just need to call and let my parents know. He walked out of the room, pulling out his phone leaving Sora and Naminé alone.

"Sora?" Naminé asked hesitantly.

He looked over at her. She looked nervous.

"Yes?"

She hesitated for a second.

"Do you think you could teach me to fight?" she asked

Sora remembered the look she had on her face outside the training room and suddenly it made sense.

He wondered what was going through her head. Why did she want to learn?

Luckily, he didn't have to wonder for long because she explained.

"I felt so helpless while you all were fighting" she looked down at her hands.

"I never want to feel like that again. I want to be able to help others like you helped me."

Warmth flooded Sora. She had been through so much, yet she still wanted to be able to help people.

He thought about what she had asked. He didn't really consider himself the best teacher but he knew that she needed this.

"Okay, we'll do it" he said. "I know how you feel." His mind flashed back to the day he lost his mother. He pushed back the memories.

He remembered all too well the feeling of helplessness.

Naminé must have noticed the hurt in his eyes because she surprised him by pulling him into a hug.

"Thank you, Sora. I don't know what would have happened if I never would have met you."

Shocked, Sora slowly put his arms around her and returned the hug. Neither one was in a hurry to let go.

"Well this is awkward" a voice said as Riku walked back into the room.

Immediately Sora and Naminé separated. Both of their faces were bright red.

"Naminé just asked me to train her" Sora stammered out.

Riku laughed. "Whatever you say Sora."

* * *

**In case anyone was wondering, the movie they watched was FF15 **


	9. Chapter 9: Training

**A/N Once again it has been a while. Finally getting back into the story. This chapter is short but I think it sets the stage for the future. Enjoy!**

* * *

"One of the most important things to remember when fighting is your stance." Sora began.

"While trying to learn to use a sword, some people believe that it is all about attacking. However, your foundation is important. Your stance and footwork affect every aspect of swordplay so it is really important to get them down before we move on to the more difficult parts."

He quickly glanced at Naminé. She looked good in her leather practice armor, not that he would ever tell her so. It was form fitting and stood in contrast to her pale complexion and light hair and eyes.

He refocused his thoughts and took in her current stance. Her feet were too close together. A common mistake.

"It's important to keep a solid foundation. That way, if you are pressured you are able to keep your balance."

He gently pushed her shoulders, almost causing her to fall over.

"As you can see, it didn't take much effort for me to unbalance you. Your feet are too close together." he said.

While he said this he nudged her boots with his own causing her to widen her stance.

"It may be a bit uncomfortable at first, but with practice it will become second nature."

Naminé nodded her head in understanding. She was focused and determined, both good traits for a student.

He was temporarily distracted by the sound of wooden swords colliding. Kairi and Riku decided they were going to stay and practice as well. While Sora was training Naminé they were sparring.

He and Naminé briefly watched the exchange. Kairi was good, but Sora could tell that Riku had the advantage. It wasn't surprising. Riku had practiced with Sora and his dad as often as he could. Kairi wasn't bad though, and her speed was impressive. It was a good match.

The tempo of their battle increased as Riku parried Kairi's attack and immediately launched a counter-attack that even Sora would have been hard-pressed to defend against. He was impressed.

As Sora expected, Riku blow collided with Kairi's sword sending it spiraling through the air. They both were covered in sweat and panting, but they both had a smile on their face.

"I almost had you that time!" Kairi said. "Rematch?"

"Sure" Riku said while grinning. He was obviously enjoying himself. They began again.

Naminé watched them in awe. Her eyes tracking their movement. She seemed to be taking in every detail of their battle.

"Don't worry" Sora began. "You will get to that point one day."

Naminé looked doubtful but she still nodded.

"Now" Sora said, "Let's find you a weapon"

* * *

Sora thought the training went well. It helped that Naminé was a quick learner.

Her body wasn't accustomed to swinging the weight of a practice sword so it would take a little time before she could even consider trying a real one.

Sora had her go through many different exercises that his dad had taught him. He started by testing her stance.

He would make simple attacks in an attempt to unbalance her while she strove to maintain the stance. If she was ever forced out of it, she would have to attempt to correct it as quickly as possible.

She was struggling a little with her footwork. Sora taught her to keep a shoulder-width stance with one foot in front of the other. She was to lead any movement with the foot that was closest to the direction that she planned to move.

However, she was having a hard time adjusting to this. She would lead with the wrong foot and it would leave her unbalanced.  
Luckily, Riku and Kairi were there to help her as well. They often chimed in when Sora wasn't explaining something well.

After having moved on from her footwork, they decided to go over some basic sword forms. Sora would demonstrate the form and then Naminé would be expected to copy it.

She had a good memory but some of the forms were quite complex and she was finding them difficult.

All in All, Sora thought it was a very productive day of training. Naminé wouldn't be ready to take on any heartless yet, but it was a good start.

By the time they had stopped for lunch Naminé was thoroughly exhausted.

Yet, Sora couldn't help but notice that she seemed happier than he had ever seen her.

Kairi was in the process fixing everyone lunch when there was a knock at the door.

Sora made his way to the door and opened it to find Headmaster Cid standing there.

"Ah, good to see you Sora. May I come in?" Cid asked.

Sora motioned for him to enter.

"Sorry for dropping by unannounced", Cid began, "but as expected the council has approved the request for Naminé to stay. I also thought it might do her some good to attend classes on Monday"

Sora considered what he had said. He could see the benefit of Naminé being around other people rather than being by herself until school ended.

"That sounds great. I will talk to her about it tonight." Sora replied.

"Great." Cid proceeded to hand Sora a slip of paper.

"If she chooses to attend, here is a trial schedule."

Sora took the paper and quickly glanced over it. They would have a few classes together at least.

"Was there anything else?" Sora asked Cid.

"Actually Sora, I needed to talk to you about your father."

Sora tensed. It didn't sound like good news was coming.

"Ever since you returned we've sent messages out to all the worlds we are in contact with. Most haven't encountered any heartless, but strange hooded figures have been seen on a couple of worlds.

Sora thought back to Halloween Town. He remembered the hooded figure stepping form the portal.

His hand instinctively went to his chest where he had been injured.

"We are working on investigating these men. Would you be interested in helping? Normally, we wouldn't risk someone so young, but you have proven yourself and have a vested interest in the situation. We would like to offer you the chance to lead the team."

Sora must have looked shocked because Cid chuckled.

"No need to give me an answer today, Sora." Cid said.

"There is still much planning to do and intel to gather. Just consider it. I will keep you informed of any changes."

After Cid left Sora considered his proposal. On one hand, Sora was desperate to find his father. On the other, he couldn't just leave Naminé after she had been through so much.

He also wondered if he would be a match for the hooded figure should they meet again.

He sighed. No use worrying about it too much. He would figure something out. He always did.

He walked back into the training room and noticed that Naminé was already back at it. Across from her, Riku was going over how to properly defend against different weapon types.

"He leaned against the wall, the events of the last few days weighing on his mind.

You okay?" Kairi said.

She approached and leaned against the wall beside him. How could she always tell when something was bothering him?

"Yeah, just thinking." he replied.

Sora expected some kind of joke about him using his brain for once but it never came.

"What about?" she asked in a quiet voice.

Sora glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She seemed to be in thought as well.

"The future." he said. She waited for him to explain.

He quickly recounted the discussion he had with Cid.

"Wow Sora, the council has approved you to lead a mission? That's great!" she said excitedly.  
She knew he had always dreamed of leading one when he was younger.

"Yeah" he responded.

Kairi looked at him critically. She knew him so well.

"You are worried about leaving Naminé?" she asked.

"Yeah, she's already lost her world and her father. I just don't know if I can work up the nerve to go."

Kairi nodded her head in understanding.

"Plus, what if I'm not good enough? You know what happened last time I faced the hooded figure. He almost killed me."

She was silent for a moment before she finally spoke.

"I think you should go" she said.

"You need to find your father and this is your chance. If anything, I bet Naminé would understand."

"Maybe" Sora said.

Kairi continued, "Besides, she wouldn't be alone. She will still have me and Riku!"

She smiled at Sora and then surprised him by wrapping him in a hug. Warmth spread through him as he felt her head on his shoulder.  
"You don't have to do everything alone Sora." she whispered in his ear.

The sound of someone clearing their throat ruined the moment and they quickly separated.

"I'm noticing a pattern here" Riku said with humor in his voice.

Not one to be embarrassed long, Kairi quickly went on a rant and started chasing Riku around the room telling him not to interrupt important moments.

Sora laughed to himself. He had the best friends.

Oddly, he looked around and noticed Naminé was no longer in the room.

He felt better after talking with Kairi. He knew he wouldn't be able to let this opportunity pass.

He had to do this. For himself and for Naminé.

He walked back over to the weapon rack and grabbed a practice sword.

His father's words ringing in his head. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice. He wouldn't lose again.


	10. Chapter 10: Foes

**A/N: I was able to get this chapter out sooner than expected. Hopefully the rest will come as easy.**

**1/30/2020 - I've updated this chapter. I felt like it was rushed. **

* * *

The sound of Sora's alarm going off pulled him from his slumber. He reached over and turned off his alarm.

He rolled out of bed carefully, his body seemed to ache all over. It had been a long time since he had trained that hard.

He had spent most of his day yesterday either training Naminé or sparring with Riku and Kairi.

The matches were all close. Sora managed to win a few of them. However, Riku never went down easily.

Sora could feel the bruises from where he had taken hits from Riku.

Sora smiled in grim satisfaction knowing that Riku was going to be just as sore as he was.

Yawning, he quickly stretched to relieve some of his soreness. He glanced at his clock. He was running late and needed to hurry.

Kairi had asked Naminé to spend the night at her house so that they could get ready for school together, whatever that meant.

He quickly grabbed a shower, ate breakfast and was on his way.

His dad had always impressed upon him the importance of being able to get ready in a moments notice. Sora considered himself a pro at it.

He stepped outside, locking the door behind him. He was immediately assaulted by the heat.

It's way too early to be this hot, he thought as he made his way towards the school.

Up ahead he saw Selphie walking by herself. He quickly jogged to catch up to her.

"Hey Selphie" he said as he fell in step beside her.

"G'morning Sora" she said cheerfully. "Glad to see you back."

Sora gave her a confused look. How did she know he was gone?

Seeing his expression, Selphie laughed.

"Don't worry, I'm not a mind reader." she said as she winked.

"Kairi invited me over to meet Naminé last night. While I was there, she explained what happened."

Sora nodded. Kairi was quite clever.

Introducing Naminé to Selphie would help prevent rumors about Naminé from spreading. Mainly because Selphie would normally be the one to spread them.

They walked in silence for a few moments.

"So Sora" Selphie began with a mischievous smile, "What do you think of Naminé?"

Sora was caught off guard by the question.

"What do you mean?" he stammered.

Selphie put her hands behind her back interlocking her fingers.

"Oh nothing, just curious."

Sora felt like it was a trap so he remained silent.

A thought crossed Sora's mind.

"Hey Selph?" he asked.

She stopped walking and look at him questionably. He hardly ever called her Selph.

"Yes, Sora?" she responded

"Could you keep an eye on Naminé? She's been through a lot and I don't want to see her sad. You know how people at school can be.

I know she has me, Riku, and Kairi, but it would mean a lot to me if you could look out for her as well." Sora said as he stared at his feet.

"Of course Sora." she said as she smiled at him and started walking.

"Let's go. We don't want to be late."

* * *

Sora walked into his homeroom and immediately noticed Kairi, Namine, and Riku all sitting together towards the back.

That's convenient that Naminé had been placed in this class. Sora would be sure to thank Cid.

"Hey guys" he said cheerfully as he took a seat beside Riku.

They all greeted him in response.

Kairi was busy talking to one of her other friends. Sora believed her name was Olette. Riku seemed to be doing some last minute homework.

Sora turned his attention to Naminé who was simply sitting in silence.

"So Naminé, what do you think of Traverse Town Academy so far?" he asked.

She looked over at him and seemed to think it over.

"Well" she said "It's actually smaller than my previous school at Radiant Gardens, but other than that it doesn't seem that different.

I guess schools are pretty universal. Torture and boredom no matter where they are." she finished with a smile.

Sora laughed at that. Good to know TTA wasn't unique in how boring it could be.

Riku had finally finished whatever he was working on. He closed his book and turned to Sora.

"You ready for gym today? We should find out who the captains are."

Sora had forgotten about that. He wondered who was going to end up on his team.

"Sure" Sora said. "I'm ready for the competition to start."

"What about you Kairi?" Sora asked. "Do you think you made it as a captain?"

Kairi thought about it for a moment. "No, I don't think so. I did well on the tests, but don't forget Tidus and Wakka are both in there as well"

That's right, Sora thought. Tidus and Wakka were very athletic. They would be hard to beat.

Naminé was looking at them wondering what they were talking about.

"Don't worry" Kairi said. "I'll explain later".

Ms. Quistis entered the room and everyone quit talking.

"Good morning class. I hope everyone had a good weekend." she said as she walked to the center of the classroom.

"I've been informed by the headmaster that we have a new student." she gestured towards Naminé.

If you don't mind, please stand and introduce yourself and tell us where you are from.

Sora could tell that she was nervous as she stood and stuttered out her name.

However, when she said she was from Radiant Gardens whispers broke out among the class. Sora knew the news would travel fast.

"Alright class, settle down." Ms. Q said. "Now, who can tell me the implications of the Locks of Light?"

Sora inwardly groaned. Another review.

* * *

History class passed by pretty quickly considering how boring it was. Since it was a review they didn't have to take too many notes.

The bell rang and Sora quickly gathered his stuff. Kairi had already packed up and was waiting for the others at the door.

He looked towards Naminé to see that she was still writing in her notepad.

Sora thought that was strange. Surely they discussed the Locks at her old school.

"I don't know about your old school, but that bell typically means class is over" Sora joked.

She smiled at him. "I know, just writing the last few things the teacher said down."

"Give her a break" Riku said. "Just because you are terrible at note taking doesn't mean everyone else is."

Sora laughed. "Fair enough".

Finishing up, she slid the notebook into her backpack and stood up.

"So what class do you have next" he asked Naminé. He hoped she had it with someone she knew.

She glanced down at her schedule. "Looks like Literature"

"Great!" said Riku as he finished putting his things into his bag. "I have that class too. We can walk together."

Sora told them bye and quickly joined Kairi as she headed towards their next class.

As he walked, Sora was trying to remember if they had been assigned math homework last week.

He asked Kairi. Luckily, she told them they weren't assigned any.

He let out a relieved sigh. Forgetting his homework this soon wouldn't earn him any favor with the teachers.

"So what do you have planned after school today?" Kairi asked him.

"I don't really have anything planned" he replied. "Why?"

She stopped walking and turned towards him. "Just thought we could hang out" she said.

"Sure" he said. "I can ask Riku and Naminé as well".

As the words left his mouth he could sense that he had made a mistake. Kairi seemed to tense up.

"Is something wrong? he asked her.

She hesitated then finally said, "Well, I was hoping we could hang out. Just the two of us."

"Uh, sure" Sora said. "Let's just meet up after our last class and we can decide where to go."

That was a bit strange but it wasn't like they had never hung out by themselves before.

Kairi seemed happy with his response and skipped happily towards the classroom.

Sora was about to enter room when someone stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

"Yo Sora" the figure said, "Where is your new girlfriend."

Word must have spread that Naminé was staying with Sora. Great.

There weren't many people at TTA that Sora didn't get along with. In fact, Sora prided himself in his ability to get along with nearly anyone.

Seifer was the exception. He always felt the need to belittle and insult people. He was basically the school bully.

That, in conjunction with Sora's sense of justice, made them natural enemies.

"First off" Sora said, "she isn't my girlfriend"

"Second, she wouldn't give a creep like you the time of day so stay away from her. Now move before I make you".

Seifer seemed taken back by his tone. Sora had never responded that aggressively towards him.

To hear him say something so contrary to his nature seemed to surprise Seifer. However, that surprise didn't last long. He recovered and glared at Sora.

"She's probably a loser anyway. I mean, what kind of world can't hold off a few heartless. They deserved whatever happened to them!"

The hallway went silent. Everyone that had been listening in was stunned at what Seifer had said. They knew he had crossed a line.

Sora could feel that he was about to lose control. He was in the process of raising his fist to punch Seifer when a loud slap rang out through the hallway.

Shocked, Sora realized that Kairi had slapped him.

"Seifer how dare you say that. That is low for even you!" she said.

Seifer looked furious and took a step towards Kairi.

Without thinking, Sora stepped in front of her, daring Seifer to try something.

Sora knew that by himself Seifer was a coward. Eventually, Seifer back down and turned to leave.

"This isn't over" he said as he walked off angrily.

"C'mon Sora" she said as she quickly grabbed Sora's hand and walked into the classroom.

Once inside, Sora noticed that Kairi was shaking too. She had unshed tears in her eyes.

"I can't believe him" she said. "How could he say something like that. He's always been a jerk, but that was too far."

Sora could tell she was about to break down into tears so he took her hand and pulled her into a hug, surprising her.

"Don't worry about him Kai" he said.

He could hear her sniffling as she tried to hold back the tears.

"Besides, did you see the look on his face after you slapped him? Sora joked. "It was priceless. I don't think I will ever forget that" he said with a smile.

She smiled back wiping her eyes. "It did feel pretty good"

It was only then they had noticed the other students were starting to file into the room.

Many curious glances were directed their way considering they were still holding each other.

Great, there would definitely be rumors after this, Sora thought.

Kairi pulled away. "Thanks Sora" she said.

"Just be careful" Sora warned. "Seifer has a bad habit of holding grudges."

Kairi nodded as the two took their seats.

* * *

**TiedToTheStorm: I'm glad someone else enjoys the pairing. I definitely don't think they get enough love.**


	11. Chapter 11: Growth

**A/N: Hey everyone! Here is the newest chapter! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom hearts or any of the FF characters.**

* * *

By the time math class ended, Sora felt like it had taken all of his willpower to stay awake.

More than once Kairi had caught him nodding off and had elbowed him in the side. She acted like she was mad, but Sora could tell she thought his suffering was hilarious.

She had taken off as soon as class ended to attend a last minute student council meeting.

Usually, they walked to lunch together, but it looked like he was on his own today.

He made his way down the hallway and headed towards the cafeteria, weaving through the crowds of people.

As he passed by he noticed people shooting glances his way. Word must have spread about his and Kairi's encounter with Seifer.

Oh well, he thought. Nothing he could do about it now.

Further down the hallway he saw Tidus walking out of a classroom and quickly jogged to catch up to him.

"Hey Tidus, you ready to find out the teams?" Sora asked him.

Tidus paused to let Sora catch up.

"Sure, I just hope I made captain this year." Tidus said casually.

Sora hoped so as well. Last year Tidus didn't make captain and ended up on Sora's team.

While they were good friends, when it came to sports they were too competitive to work well together.

"I'm sure you will." Sora said confidently. He meant it. Apart from Riku, he didn't think anyone in their class could compete with Tidus' athletic ability.

"So" Sora asked, "Who is going to be your first pick if you are selected?

He didn't actually expect Tidus to tell him. After all, if Sora made captain too there was a chance he could steal Tidus' pick.

Tidus stopped walking. Sora raised an eyebrow. That seemed like a dramatic response. Now he was really curious.

"I, uh, well.." Tidus began, shifting his weight from side to side.

"C'mon Tidus" Sora said. "I'm not going to steal your pick."

Tidus seemed to consider that before he finally spoke.

"I, uh, actually told Yuna I would pick her first if I made captain."

Sora hadn't expected that answer, but the more he thought about it the less surprising it was.

"Oh, that's a good choice. Yuna is one of the most athletic girls in the class."

Tidus looked up, relieved. "You really think so?"

"Sure thing. She'll do great on your team." Tidus seemed satisfied with his response.

He had a feeling Yuna's athletic ability had little to do with Tidus' choice. Sora had noticed how they had been eating lunch together lately.

He could also tell that Tidus was embarrassed, and Sora didn't feel the need to make his embarrassment any worse by teasing him.

Besides, he really believed Yuna would be a good addition.

They made it to the cafeteria and went their separate ways. Tidus went to sit with Yuna while Sora looked for Riku and Naminé.

The cafeteria was already packed. Typically, one of their group would arrive early enough to save a table. However, looking at their usual spot, it had already been taken.

Not really paying attention to where he was walking, Sora bumped into someone and heard a crash as something hit the floor.

When he bumped into the person he had knocked the tray out of their hand. Food went everywhere.

Embarrassed, Sora immediately apologized and bent down to pick up as much as he could.

The person he ran into was a young, petite girl with blonde hair and green eyes. He didn't recognize her so he figured she must be in her first year.

"I'm sorry" Sora said. "I really should have been watching where I was going." He stood up and motioned to take the tray from the girl. "Here, let me take that for you."

She nodded greatfully and finally spoke, "It's okay. I'm new here and wasn't really paying attention either so it isn't completely your fault."

That explained why he had never seen her before. "I'm Sora Leonhart." he said as he took the tray from her.

"Nice to met you, Sora." the girl responded with a smile. "My name is Rikku Albhed. Though I have to say, I wish we had met under different circumstances. I'm pretty sure the whole school just saw me make a fool of myself."

Sora laughed. "I wouldn't worry about it too much. I'm sure no one will even remember by the end of the day. Besides, it was my fault."

Sora noticed that she kept glancing around nervously. She seemed lost.

"Would you like to sit with me and my friends?" he offered.

She brightened immediately. "That would be great! I've only met a few people and they don't seem to be in this lunch period."

Luckily, following the commotion Sora had finally found the table Riku was sitting at and he gestured for Rikku to follow him.

Riku noticed him as he was approaching.  
"Hey Sora", he greeted. He looked over to Rikku. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Rikku" Sora said. "She just started here and I happened to, uh, bump into her".

Riku laughed. "So that's what that sound was. Sora for someone so athletic I really don't understand how you can be so clumsy."

He turned to Rikku, "But I guess something good happened from my clumsy friend here." he said with a charming smile.

"My name is also Riku. R-I-K-U" he said as he introduced himself.

He motioned towards Naminé. "And the quiet one over here is Naminé."

Naminé looked up at Rikku and waved.

After the introductions had been made, Sora took Rikku's tray to put it up.  
Remembering what food she had picked, he grabbed her another tray and picked the same foods. He then grabbed one for himself.

By the time he made it back to the table, all of Rikku's nervousness seemed to have vanished.

He placed the tray in front of her. "Here ya go." he said. "The best food the cafeteria has to offer."

She thanked him and he took a seat next to Naminé.

He noticed she was doodling. He leaned over to try and see what she was drawing.

She noticed what he was doing and slid the paper under her tray.

"Sorry Sora. I'm very self-conscious when it comes to my art work."

"Aw, C'mon Naminé." Sora said as he put on his best puppy dog face.

Naminé just laughed at his attempt. Sora liked hearing her laugh. It had an almost musical quality.

"Don't pout Sora." Riku said. "What, are you five?"

Both Rikku and Naminé laughed.

Sora glared at Riku. "I wasn't pouting."

"What's Sora pouting over?" Kairi said as she took a seat beside Sora.

Sora hung his head in defeat. There was no winning with them.

Luckily, Naminé must have felt bad for him because she changed the subject.

"Kairi, have you met Rikku yet? she asked while gesturing towards the newcomer.

Kairi looked over at her. "No, I don't believe I have." They both quickly introduced themselves.

"So how did you meet this lot" Kairi asked, gesturing towards the rest of the table.

Sora groaned.

"Well, here I was just just minding my own business, walking through the cafeteria trying to find a good place to eat when suddenly some guy basically runs me over." Rikku said dramatically.

Sora suddenly had a sinking suspicion that Kairi and Rikku were going to get alone a little too well.

"Let me guess" Kairi interrupted. "Our daydreaming champion here" she gestured to Sora, "was the one who ran into you?"

"Yup!" Rikku said with a mischievous grin. "He knocked poor little me to the ground. Food went everywhere! It was tragic!"

Sora rolled his eyes at her theatrics. "I helped her clean it up, and got her more food. It's not like I did it on purpose" he complained.

Rikku dipped her head, acknowledging what he had said.

"That's right. _After_ he ran me over he was a perfect gentleman."

While Rikku and Kairi were joking around about Sora, Riku leaned across the table and spoke quietly to Sora.

"So, I heard you had a run in with Seifer."

Sora nodded. "Yeah, he was just being a jerk. As usual."

"What about?" Riku asked.

Sora glanced at Naminé. She had gone back to drawing but she seemed to still be listening.

"I'll tell you later."

Sora heard the sound of the tip of Naminé's pencil snapping.

Riku seemed to get Sora's hint because he didn't press him for details.

"Just be careful, Sora." he said. "I know you can take care of yourself, but Seifer and his cronies don't fight fair."

"I will." Sora replied, recalling that he had told Kairi something similar.

Sora noticed that Naminé had stopped drawing and was simply staring at the table.

"You okay?" he asked her.

Without looking up she simply nodded her head.

Before he could say anything else the bell rang.

Sora stood up and was about to leave when he felt a hand on his arm.

Naminé had grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving.

"Sora, can we talk for a second?" she asked him.

"Sure" he said, a little confused. He told the others that he would catch up in a few.

"What's up?" he asked.

Namine was chewing on her bottom lip with her hands behind her back. She seemed to be considering what to say. After a few moments she finally spoke.

"Sora, what happened between you and that other guy today?

Sora's heart dropped.

"I've heard the rumors. Everyone says you got into an argument."

He considered his words carefully. He didn't want to lie to her, but she didn't need to know all the details.

"It's not a big deal. Seifer was looking for a fight, like always. He was just trying to rile me up."

Naminé seemed to consider this. He could tell she thought there was more to the story though.

"What was the argument about?"

Sora sighed. "It doesn't matter."

Naminé's jaw clenched. "Please tell me Sora, what was the argument about?"

Sora dropped his eyes, staring at the ground. Why was she being so persistent about this?

Realizing he had no choice, Sora told her.

"Seifer was asking me about you. I told him you would never give him the time of day and he got mad."

"And?" she asked.

Sora sighed again. "He said the people of Radiant Gardens got what they deserved."

Naminé was quiet and Sora finally looked up.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just didn't want his words to upset you." Sora said in a quiet voice.

Once again the two found themselves standing in silence.

Finally Naminé spoke again.

"Sora. I do want to thank you for trying to protect me." Sora smiled at her words.

"However" she said and Sora smile quickly faded. "You can't protect me from everything."

Sora knew she was right. Yet still..

"You've already done so much for me. I don't want cause you any more trouble."

Sora opened his mouth to object but she held up a hand to stop him.  
"I have to learn eventually to stand up for myself and to stand on my own two feet."

Sora nodded. There was really nothing else he could do. He kept picturing Naminé as the girl that needed saving. While he could always be there for her, he needed to trust her to be able to handle herself as well.

She reached over and took his hand in hers.  
Their hands seemed to fit together perfectly, like interlocking pieces to a puzzle. A puzzle that he hadn't even realized was missing a piece.

Warmth spread throughout him.

He stared into her deep blue eyes. He felt like he could get lost in them.

"I know you didn't tell Riku what the fight was about because I was listening. No more secrets, okay?"

Not letting go of her hand, "No more secrets" he agreed.

The warning bell sounded, startling them back to reality.

"We have to hurry or we are going to be late!" Sora exclaimed.

He took off towards the hallway, pulling Naminé along with him.

Their hands still locked together.

* * *

**It could get confusing writing dialog that involves both Riku and Rikku.**

**I'm going to try to keep most of their personalities similar to the games.**

**Well except Yuna, in the game I never considered her athletic. She is portrayed as kinda clumsy IMO.**

**In this fic she is going to be athletic though :D**

**Rikku is from FFX**

**Seifer is from FF8  
**

**TiedToTheStorm: Thank you for the review! I am glad you are enjoying it. I'm excited to explore Seifer's character. In FF8 I never really considered him a villain in the sense that he was totally evil. So I may go with that. We'll see  
**


	12. Chapter 12: News

**A/N: Hey guys, I know it has been quite a while since I've updated. 2020 has been a crazy year so far. I hope everyone is doing well!**

* * *

Sora and Naminé barely made it to class before the bell rang. Kairi and Riku were already there waiting for them.

Zell blew his whistle before they had a chance to talk and had everyone line up.

"Alright, today I am going to announce the captains for the rest of the semester. Keep in mind that this is based on your performance from previous classes.

Sora grinned and looked over at Riku. Riku gave him a thumbs up. They were both excited for the competition.

"Our first captain", Zell continued, "is Wakka".

Wakka, a tall burly kid with gravity defying red hair quickly moved from the line to stand beside the coach.

That was expected, Sora thought to himself.

"Next, we have Tidus" he continued.

Sora looked over at Tidus who looked surprised and gave him a thumbs up.

Two more Sora thought.

Our next captain is going to be Riku.

Riku quickly took his place beside Tidus.

Sora was actually nervous. What if he didn't score well enough to be captain? His palms began to sweat, but Kairi elbowed him and gave him a reassuring smile.

"Finally, our last captain is going to be.." Zell started but began shuffling through his papers.

"Sorry, I seemed to have misplaced my paper."

Sora sighed. The tension was killing him.

"Ah here it is, the final captain is going to be Sora."

Sora let out a relieved sigh and quickly made his way to join the other captains. He noticed that both Naminé and Kairi gave him a thumbs up.

"Were you worried?" Riku whispered to him with a smirk as he took his place beside him."

Before Sora could respond Zell started speaking again.

"Now that we have captains we are going to change up the process. Rather than turning in a list of who you want on your team, we are going to pick today. We will go in order that the captains were announced alternating between boys and girls. Wakka you have first pick."

Looking over the students, Wakka hesitated only a moment before picking a girl named Paine.

Tidus also only took a moment in picking Yuna.  
Now was the moment Sora had been dreading. Who would Riku pick? Sora would like to pick Kairi but he knew that Riku was probably thinking the same.

As if in confirmation of his thoughts, Riku immediately called Kairi's name.

Sora's brain went into overdrive trying to decide which girl to pick. The most athletic girls had already been chosen but Sora really didn't want to lose.

He had finally decided on a quiet girl named Rydia when he happened to glance down the line of students at Namiiné.

She looked nervous as she quietly stood there looking at the ground.

Sora felt bad for her, realizing that having not been here for the tests she would likely not be picked any time soon since her abilities were relatively unknown. It also didn't help that hardly anyone knew her.

A war raged on inside Sora between wanting to win and wanting to help his friend. In the end, it wasn't much of a competition and his loyalty won out.

"I pick Naminé" Sora said to the surprise of the others. In fact, the only ones who didn't look surprised were Riku and Kairi.

Naminé herself must have been shocked because she didn't move.

"Naminé" Zell said gently. "Sora has picked you."

Her cheeks flushed red as she quickly left her place in line to stand with Sora.

"Alright Sora, pick a guy now".

* * *

The rest of the process went pretty smoothly for Sora and he was satisfied with his team. He thought he had a good chance of winning the competition.

He had just changed back into his school uniform and was leaving the gym when he noticed Naminé waiting for him in the hallway.

"Hey Naminé" he greeted. "you ready for this competition?"

Naminé shifted her weight as she began speaking.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that."

Sora stopped walking and gave her his full attention.

"Sure, what's up?" he asked as he swung his backpack over his shoulder.

"I, uh, well" she started.

Sora chuckled. It was clear she was nervous.

Hearing his laugh she frowned at him and continued talking.  
"I just wanted to let you know that I'm not the most coordinated person."

Sora gave her a confused look. "And?" he asked.

Naminé sighed and then resumed speaking.

"I just didn't want you to be disappointed if I don't do well in the competition once it begins" she said in a small voice.

Realization hit Sora. She was worried that she would let him down.

"C'mon Naminé, it's just for fun" he said smiling encouragingly at her. "What's important is that you have fun."

She gave him a serious look. "I know you are competitive Sora, and I also know that there were other girls who are probably more athletic or talented than me. I just don't want you to regret picking me" she finished.

Sora really thought about her words. It's true he wanted to win, but more than that he wanted Naminé to be happy.

"Look Naminé, no matter what happens I don't regret picking you. You are my friend and I wanted you on my team. It's true I like winning, but like I said, it's just a game."

Naminé shoulders relaxed and she seemed to take his words to heart.

"Now" Sora continued as he motioned for Naminé to start walking. "I believe it's time for us to go to art."

While Sora excelled at gym, a little while into the class it became clear that art was Naminé's specialty.

Watching her work, he was amazed at her skill.

Though when she realized he was watching her she moved her drawing under her notepad.

Sheepishly, Sora turned back to his own work which, to say the least, wasn't coming along near as well.

The teacher was making the rounds and when she got to Naminé's work immediately praised her talent.

Sora, on the other hand, received a remark telling him his needed some work.

Frustrated, Sora turned to Namine and asked her how she was able to draw so well.

Not taking her eyes off the paper, she began speaking.

"I've been drawing ever since I can remember. My mother was an artist on Radiant Gardens and taught me a lot."

She had never mentioned her mother before, Sora thought.

He wondered what she was like.

"I can give you some pointers, if you would like" she said to Sora.

"That would be great!" he immediately exclaimed.

Naminé spent the rest of the class helping Sora improve his work. By the time the bell rang, it was actually recognizable what Sora was trying to draw.

"Thanks for your help, Naminé." Sora said as they left the classroom.

"Maybe with your help I will actually pass the class" Sora said while laughing.

"I wouldn't get too confident" Naminé said with a smirk.

Sora stopped in his tracks and Naminé turned to look at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Yes?" she said.

"What has Kairi done to you?" Sora asked with a shocked look on his face.

"She's created a monster" he said with mock despair. "Now you are picking on me too?"

Namine just laughed and resumed walking.

Sora continued with his act a little longer, before finally jogging to catch up to her.

They were just about to part was for the next class when a voice came over the intercom.

"Sora, please report to the headmasters office immediately" the voice said.

Sora and Naminé locked eyes.

The same thought must have been going through her head that was going through his.

Maybe they have finally received news about their fathers.

"Go ahead" Naminé said. "I will talk to you later."

Hesitating for only a second Sora nodded and then took off for the headmaster's office.

* * *

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